Swords Crossed
by FlameDiadem
Summary: Harry, sick of being forced into the public eye by his friend Hermione, runs into hiding under the name Nathaniel Brintley. But what he finds while undercover will change everything. Slash!
1. Chapter 1

Swords Crossed

Chapter 1

"…and then a press conference at six, and Harry, I really think you should have it at Hogwarts this time. I know you don't want to, but it'll make for good publicity, and give people something to talk about for a while that's positive." Hermione Granger looked up from her long roll of parchment and frowned at the black-haired boy across the table from her. "Harry, are you even listening to me?" Harry Potter rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Hermione, why are we even bothering with this? For the last time, I don't want to have any press conferences at all. I don't care what people think of me. And most of all, I don't want to go back to Hogwarts! There are too many bad memories there right now." Hermione sighed and lay her parchment down.

"Harry, be reasonable. You'll have to go back to Hogwarts for your seventh year anyhow, it's expected. You know that Professor McGonagall specifically wrote to you about it. And you also know that I'm just doing my job. You need good press coverage, it's crucial if you ever want people to leave you alone."

"No, it isn't," Harry snapped. "I never wanted you to do this in the first place, Hermione. If I don't talk to anyone, after a while they'll lose interest. But you have to keep trying to shove me into the public eye, and you _know_ that I hate that!" Hermione looked stung.

"Harry, I'm only trying to do what's best for you." Harry snorted and stood up.

"What's best for me is if you leave me alone, Hermione, all right? Why does no one understand that I just want to be left alone?" He stormed out of the small kitchen in Grimmauld Place where he and Hermione had been sitting. Hermione sighed and rolled up the parchment where she had written out Harry's publicity schedule. In the months after the War, she had taken it upon herself to manage all of his appearances. Once every few weeks or so, Harry would get frustrated and tell her to buzz off. He had never stormed out on her before, but Hermione shrugged that off. He would come back in the end. After all, who else could do what she did?

That afternoon, Ron Weasley entered the drawing room where Hermione was sitting working on next week's schedule, looking concerned. Hermione looked up and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Harry?" Ron asked. "He's nowhere to be found, and his broom's gone. Last anyone knew, you had him penned up in the kitchen."

"I did not have him 'penned up', Ron," Hermione said testily. "And no, I haven't seen him. He got annoyed during our meeting and left." Ron stared, his hand frozen in the act of running his fingers through his hair.

"He walked out?" Hermione nodded.

"It was no big deal, Ron, we just-" But Ron cut her off, running to the door.

"Kreacher!" he bellowed. "Kreacher, would you come up here?"

"Ron, what's wrong?" Hermione said, looking confused. "I'm sure Harry just went for an afternoon fly to clear his head or something, there's no need to get so-" Ron cut her off again, looking concerned.

"I know, Hermione, it's what makes sense. But Kreacher's been running secret errands these past few weeks, and all the packages he brought for Harry are missing too. I thought maybe Harry had moved them, but if he was angry…" he trailed off as Kreacher entered the room with a bow.

"You called?" Ron nodded. The house elf had taken a liking to him and Hermione after the War, and was likely to answer truthfully if he asked them something.

"Kreacher, we can't find Harry. Do you know where he is?" Kreacher nodded, but said nothing, so Ron questioned further. "Can you tell us?"

"No," Kreacher said. "The young master said I was not to tell you." Ron looked over at Hermione, panic beginning to appear on his face, but Kreacher continued smoothly, "Master said you would ask, and bid Kreacher to give you this letter." Ron reached out and took the roll of parchment that the house elf held out. Kreacher bowed and exited the drawing room, leaving Ron and Hermione alone in stunned silence. Ron hastily opened the letter and began to read aloud.

"_Ron and Hermione-_

_ By the time you read this, I'll be long gone. I won't tell you where I'm going, and neither will Kreacher, so don't bother him too much. I've been making arrangements to leave for a while now, so don't think that this is because of anything specific. I'm just sick of the life I'm being forced to live right now. I can't keep on acting like the public is all that matters. I'm a person in my own right, and I need to live that way. I'm sorry I couldn't tell either of you, but I knew you'd try to stop me._

_I'm sure that you're going to search for me; in fact, in some strange way, I'd be dissapointed if you didn't. But I won't surrender to you easily. I'm in hiding for however long it takes for people to leave me in peace to be who I am. Hermione, I know you thought it was what was best for me, but I won't go back to your schedules and time tables. If you need to tell me something really important, Kreacher will contact me for you. He knows only to do so if it's urgent. I'll see the two of you once things calm down a bit._

_-Harry_"

Ron looked up from the parchment, his face shocked. Hermione was looking affronted.

"He does have the worst timing. His press conference is scheduled for six. And how does he think he's going to survive without schedules, he should know that people will search him out." She quailed under Ron's glare. "What?"

"That's all you can think about?" Ron said scathingly. "Your precious schedules? Harry's just run away, Hermione, and we've no hint of when we might see him again. But all that you can think is that he'll miss his _press conference_?" He snorted in disbelief.

"Well, I-" Hermione began, but cut herself off with a gasp as Ron strode over, grabbed her schedules out of her hands, and threw them into the drawing room fire.

"Now is not the time, Hermione. It's these stupid schedules that got us into this mess in the first place. We all tried to warn you that they were doing more harm then good, but you just wouldn't listen. Once you got going, it was like _spew_, you just kept going no matter what anyone said. Give it up already! And if you must put your mind to something, put it to the matter of fixing this mess you've made, and finding Harry!" With that, he left the room, leaving Hermione to stare in shock at the black whisps that were all that remained of her parchment.

Later that evening, Ron heard a knock on his bedroom door. He opened it to find Hermione standing outside, looking like she wanted to disappear.

"Ron, I'm sorry," she whispered. "You were right, I messed up. But… if you'll let me, I'm willing to try and fix it." she held out a stack of parchment. "I-I went through Harry's desk, and I found a list of stores, which might be where he sent Kreacher. And I also sent an owl to Kingsley, at the Ministry, and he sent back a letter saying he'll help us however he can." Ron blinked. Hermione was biting her lip now, looking on the verge of tears. She looked up in shock as Ron burst into peals of laughter.

"Y-you!" he gasped. "Hermione, you are the only person I know who can jump from one obsession to the next so thoroughly in such a short amount of time." Hermione glared at him.

"You said it was important!"

"I know I did." Ron grinned. "Come on in, then, and let's see what you've got."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It had taken careful planning on Harry's part to escape from Grimmauld Place. He had worked on his idea for the entire summer, squeezing it in between his Hermione approved appearances. Even though Harry was eighteen now, and technically over school age, it had been decided that he should still complete his education at Hogwarts. After all, he had skipped out on his seventh year to hunt Horcruxes. Professor McGonagall had written a specific request for his return along with Ron and Hermione's. Mrs. Weasley had immediately stood behind the new Headmistress's request.

"I was against you skipping your seventh year at all, Harry dear," she told him when he had visited the Burrow. "I think it's quite right of you to complete your education." But Harry had known that he couldn't return to Hogwarts; things would be all wrong. So he began a plan; he would complete his seventh year, but not at Hogwarts, and not as Harry Potter.

He began to use Kreacher to run his errands. Harry sent the house elf to the other European wizarding schools to request transfer information. Once he had chosen a school, Harry was faced with the problem of who he would be. It was tricky to have a false ID in the wizarding world, since a wizard's wand served as his identification. This was the reason that Harry sent Kreacher to Master Ollivander. Ollivander had given up wand making, still frail after his encounters with Voldemort. But at Harry's request, he created one more wand. It was rosewood and unicorn hair, eleven and a quarter inches long, and it came with a letter from Ollivander.

_My dear boy,_

_ I hope this wand is satisfactory for your needs. As requested, it has not been registered with your name. However, I had to inform the Ministry of its creation. For this reason, it has been placed under the name of Nathaniel Brintley. I hope that you will use this identity for whatever purposes you deem necessary, and that luck is with you. The wand should obey you, and be no less powerful then your own._

_ Ollivander_

While the new wand was not quite as comfortable for Harry to use, it did obey his every request, and lacked nothing in power. Because of the name created by Ollivander, Harry was spared another problem; he was able to enroll in Durmstrangs School of Wizardry as Nathaniel Brintley with no problems.

The next roadblock, however, came when the school asked to meet Nathaniel. They sent an owl, asking for him to come in person and take an aptitude test. Because Harry's reason for entering a new school was that he had been home schooled, the school wanted to make sure he was up for seventh year classes. This was when Harry realized that he would need to change his appearance drastically to pull it off at all. He frantically searched through the library of Grimmauld Place, looking for disguise spells both temporary and long lasting. At last, he came up with what he was looking for; a spell that would last for three hours, and a potion that would last as long as he needed it to. He immediately began to create the physical appearance of Nathaniel Brintley.

The day of the aptitude test, Harry was able to leave Grimmauld Place without arousing suspicion. He had told his friends that he wanted to go and visit Teddy Lupin and see how his little godson was doing. Hermione had smiled indulgently and then sent him off without any trouble, while Ron never questioned where Harry was going in the first place as long as he was back in a reasonable amount of time. Harry had then Apparated to an abandoned house Kreacher had found him not to far from the Durmstrangs castle. There, he took on his new appearance.

Nathaniel Brintley was slightly taller then Harry, with a few light freckles dusting his face. His hair was cut longer then Harry usually wore his, and occasionally flopped down into his eyes, which were a dreamy sky blue. Harry had taken care to subtly change many aspects of his appearance, from little things like a mole on his left knee to big things, like his skin color, which was now a bit darker then before. Harry had also found a spell in his searching that pleased him immensely; it had corrected his bad eyesight, sp that he no longer had to wear glasses. He had changed the ones he would wear as Harry until his escape so that they were plain glass that didn't affect his eyesight at all. Kreacher had provided black robes in the appropriate size, as well as shoes and a cloak. Harry went through his aptitude test confident that his disguise went undetected, and passed with flying colors.

Kreacher was sent on more errands as the first day of school drew nearer. Durmstrangs started earlier then Hogwarts, in the middle of August. Books, potion supplies, and new robes had to be purchased. The uniform for Durmstrangs included deep red robes and fur lined cloaks. By the time Harry had to leave, he was confident that he had everything he would need, including his disguise.

Harry had brewed up a very rare potion in absolute secret. It was called the _verkleiden liebe_, and would physically change a person's appearance for as long as they needed it too. The key of release was a kiss; since Harry had little intention for a romance, especially not at an all boy's school, he was confident that it would meet his needs perfectly.

The day he was to leave, Harry found himself stuck in another meeting with Hermione. As she droned on and on about pointless events he knew he wouldn't even be attending, Harry snapped. He stormed out on her. At first, he felt a bit guilty. But as he went up to his room, his heart began to beat fast with excitement. He was going to be free, he was going to be out of the public eye at last! And sol, even though he knew he had several hours left before he had to leave, Harry summoned Kreacher to his room. He gave the house elf his final instructions not to tell anyone where Harry was, to only contact him in an absolute emergency, and gave his the letter to give to his friends. Then, he took the potion and transformed into Nathaniel Brintley. Harry gathered up all of his things, took a last look round his room, then left through the window, heading toward his new identity.

Arriving at Durmstrangs was entirely different from arriving at Hogwarts. Instead of a train that took all of the students to their destination, each family was responsible for getting their own children there. Once they arrived, students were given their dormitory assignments. At this school, there were several buildings separate from the main school that had multiple floors of sleeping space. Each student was assigned a roommate, and meals were generally taken inside of the buildings themselves. Each one had a dining hall on the ground floor. When the entire school had to gather, it was done on the expansive grounds; what the castle lacked in interior space, it made up for in rolling grounds that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Nathaniel Brintley was assigned to the dragon building, on the third floor. He climbed the stairs without any problem, and arrived at his room barely breathing hard at all. His roommate had not yet arrived, so Harry chose one of the large, comfortable beds inside and began to unpack his stuff into the dresser next to it. He didn't look up until he heard the door opening, and the thud of a suitcase on the floor. Harry took a deep breath, then turned to meet his roommate.

"Hi, I'm Nathaniel Bri-" He broke off in shock. Harry felt as though his eyes were bugging out of his head as he stared at the person standing in the room with him, looking arrogantly around at the furnishings.

"Nathaniel, did you say?" The other boy gave a little smirk. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Nice to meet you."

**Author's Note**

_My first author's note of my new story! I hope you're enjoying it so far. Thank you to everyone who left reviews for chapter one! I really do like to hear from you. A couple of you expressed confusion as to why Harry was going through his seventh year after the war, when the war was in his seventh year. I tried to explain it in the beginning of this chapter a bit, but in case it's still unclear, I'll try and simplify it a bit here. Basically, Harry hasn't learned his seventh year material yet or taken his NEWTs. This year, when he's eighteen, he's completing his education and taking his tests. He's partly doing it so he can get a good job, and partly because people around him pressured him into it. I'm sorry that not much happened in this chapter; I know it was kind of boring to read. But now that Draco's shown up, things are going to get interesting, I promise! Please review; I want to hear what you think, as long as you don't flame! I'll try to answer all reasonable questions that you ask. See you next chapter!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harry sat in the dining hall of the dragon building, picking at his breakfast. It was only two weeks into the school year, but he felt as though he had been here far too long already. While his plan had been almost perfect, the one thing he hadn't counted on was Draco Malfoy. It had been a shock to see the former Slytherin at Durmstrangs in the first place, and even more of one to realize that they were going to have to live in the same room. Harry had been hard put to pretend that he had never met the other boy before. But what had been hardest of all was when Malfoy had started trying to make friends with him.

It made sense, Harry reasoned with himself. After all, Malfoy was new to the school too. He didn't have anyone to talk to, really. He was used to having someone who at least would have a sympathetic ear for him, even in the hardest of times. At school, it had been Crabbe and Goyle, and then during the War, his mother had been there. Now, in this new environment, Malfoy had no one. Since he and Nathaniel were both transfer students and both the same age, it made sense for Malfoy to try and befriend his roommate. The only problem was, Harry was really disturbed by it.

During almost all the time Harry had known him, Malfoy had made it clear that he thought he was better then anyone else. After Harry had first rejected his friendship, Malfoy had made it clear that Harry was his enemy. This mindset was what Harry was used to, and what was normal for him. Malfoy avoiding him was to be expected, and snide comments from him were an every day occurrence. So it was an abrupt shift to have him try to spend time with Harry, to try to get to know him better and talk to him without a hint of anger or contempt.

It wasn't as though Harry had pictured a completely flawless transition into his identity as Nathaniel Brintley. He had known that it would be hard to become another person altogether, but that it would be worth it to have people think of him as no one special. And it was true that it was wonderful to walk by people without them pointing at him and whispering. But Malfoy had doubled the challenges of entering Durmstrangs, and that was giving Harry unnecessary stress.

"Hey, did you hear about Harry Potter?" Harry's head jerked up at the sound of his name coming from another table. Two boys were sitting together, one clutching a _Daily Prophet_ in his hand.

"No, what happened?"

"It's on the front page of the _Prophet_, look! It says that he's missing!"

"Missing? But where would he go?"

"No one knows, that's why it's such a big deal. Apparently he's been gone for a while now, but it's just now getting out."

"Wow, that's…" But Harry never heard what the boy said it was, because it was then that Malfoy got there.

"There you are, Nathaniel. I wasn't sure where you'd got to this morning." Harry muttered a curse under his breath as the other boy sat next to him, breakfast in hand. Then, an idea occurred to him.

"Hey Malfoy, do you get the _Daily Prophet_ delivered?" Malfoy gave a careless shrug.

"Yes, but there's never anything good in there. I usually just leave it in the room. Why?"

"Can I have today's paper?" Harry said, already standing up to go up.

"Yes, I suppose, but-" Malfoy stared as his roommate bolted out of the dining hall and up the stairs. Harry raced up to the third floor and burst into his room, eyes searching for the paper. He spotted it at last, halfway under Malfoy's bed, and snatched it up, eyes scanning the front page article.

**Hero Vanishes!**

Many have raised questions as to why Harry Potter, the famed teenage wizard who defeated Lord Voldemort, has not been seen in public recently. Our sources here at the _Daily Prophet_ can now exclusively reveal that his location is currently unknown. "No, we don't think he's been kidnapped," said a Ministry official. "We're currently putting forth all of our resources to find him, but no one needs to panic. We're sure that Mr. Potter is fine." But others, when asked about the disappearance, seemed nervous. "He's always out in the public eye," said a worried shopper in Diagon Alley. "The fact that we haven't seen him in a while makes me concerned. If he's missing, I think there's bound to be trouble on the way." (continued on page 4)

Harry lowered the newspaper and closed his eyes with a groan. It made sense that people would find out eventually, but he had hoped it wouldn't be this soon. Now the wizarding community would be more on their guard, and more suspicious of others around them.

"Calm down," he muttered under his breath. "Just calm down. Your disguise is foolproof. You just need to keep your cool, and you'll be fine." In the distance, he heard the bell in the main school ring. Hurriedly, Harry grabbed his bag and raced down the stairs and across the lawn. He arrived in his first period class out of breath. The teacher, Professor Isao, looked at his disapprovingly, then cleared her throat.

"Today we were supposed to begin the transfiguration of inanimate objects into living beings. However, the headmaster has instead informed all the teachers that there is to be a gathering on the main lawn. You will leave your bookbags and materials here and proceed directly to the front of the school in an orderly fashion."

Looking at one another in confusion, all the boys stood up and followed Professor Isao out of the classroom and down the hall. The headmaster had summoned chairs onto the main lawn, and Harry's class sat down in the second to the front row. The headmaster, Professor Arkoff, was standing on a slight incline on the lawn looking at them. There were two people sitting behind him, but Harry couldn't see them clearly. Everyone muttered themselves into silence as the Professor raised his hand. Then, he began speaking.

"The Ministry has been concerned about escaped Death Eaters and others loyal to the Dark Arts. Because of this, they have decreed that all schools should undergo testing to be sure that all within their walls are who they say they are. We here at Durmstrangs are pleased to welcome two Ministry representatives onto our campus. They will perform basic magic testing here on campus, and will then remain with us for some time to assist with the defenses. You will all be informed of the date and time of your personal inspections." He paused and turned around to gesture at the two people seated behind him. They stood and came forward. As they did so, Harry felt the color drain out of his face.

"It is my pleasure to introduce you to Mister Ron Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger," the Headmaster said. "I hope you will all make them feel welcome."

There was more to the gathering, but Harry didn't hear any of it. He felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. He knew that his two best friends weren't here to look for Death Eaters; they were here to find him.

**Author's Note**

_Hi everyone! I'd like to apologize for not updating in a while, and I hope that you're still interested in reading more of this story. This chapter sets up another piece of the plot with Ron and Hermione. I know that there's not a lot of interaction with Draco in this chapter, but my idea was to set up the basic premises of the plot before getting more in-depth with him and his character after the War. I promise that there will be more with Draco soon! Last chapter, I got a question about how Harry will get a job as himself when he's going to take his NEWTs as Nathaniel. Ideally, he's only going to live as Nathaniel for about a year, and then he'll reveal himself. He knows a lot of people in the Ministry, and so he'll be able to explain to them what he did. He also has written proof of everything he did, which is with Kreacher. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and as always, please leave reviews, and I'll be happy to answer all reasonable questions!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry went through the rest of the day in a sort of daze, stunned by the arrival of his two friends. His personal magical examination with Ron and Hermione was set for Friday, three days from now. He would have to work out a way to be sure his disguise wouldn't be discovered. The easiest way, he considered, was to talk to someone whose exam was earlier then his own so he would know what to expect. Harry also knew that he would have to be very careful to not draw any attention to himself. If he went cautiously enough, he could avoid detection.

Talk of the Ministry representatives was all over the school. Some people were obviously worried about the possibilities of Death Eaters sneaking into the school; many just thought it was a really bad joke. But either way, everyone seemed willing to go along with the magical scanning. Harry entered his dorm room at the end of the day wanting nothing more then a break from the constant reminder of the presence of his two friends. Malfoy, it seemed, had other ideas.

"This scanning business is an outrage, don't you agree?" He asked from his bed. Harry, his back to the other boy, rolled his eyes but said nothing. Malfoy, undaunted, persisted.

"I mean, the very idea of forcing us to be tested for disguise magic! Do they really think so little of their own security? And while the Ministry has a right to send people in here, I would expect them to handle it better then _this_."

"Meaning what?" Harry said, bristling slightly at the implied insult of his friends who were high up in the Ministry. But, as it turned out, the main people in the Ministry were not what was on Malfoy's mind.

"These so-called inspectors are absolute rubbish." Malfoy snorted. "I was at school with them before, you know. They were always running about stirring up trouble. They're the same age as us, but apparently got out of more schooling because of what they did last year." Malfoy smirked. "After all, they're Potter's main cronies, and just because he did something everyone sees as heroic, those two get almost anything they want."

"And how would you know that?" Harry snapped. "It doesn't sound as though you've ever even bothered to talk to them."

"Well no, not really." Malfoy frowned slightly. "I suppose you could say that what I know of them is more through observation then anything else. But take my word on this, Nathaniel. Between Granger's know-it-all attitude and Weasley's incompetence, they won't be able to get a single thing done." He stood up with a lazy stretch. "Well, I suppose I'd better go. Professor Arkoff said he wanted a word, probably because I know the so-called "representatives". I'll see you later, Nathaniel." He wandered out of the room, leaving his roommate to stare after him in numb silence.

Harry's emotions were warring inside of him. On the one, hand, he was angry at Malfoy and wanted nothing more then to have one of his friends lend him a sympathetic ear. He could so easily go and talk to Ron about what a prat Malfoy was, and have a good laugh about it together. However, Harry knew that if he did that, he would be back in the public eye again, and this time with even fewer options for escape. And yet seeing his friends had made him want to talk to them more then anything else. He flopped back on his bed and stared at the ceiling moodily. He had thought it would be no problem to separate himself from his old life for a while, but it wasn't easy at all to be away from the closest friends he had ever had.

"Maybe I could write a letter," he muttered under his breath. "I could probably make it untraceable, and it might make me feel better." Fighting down a small bit of excitement at the idea of contacting his friends, Harry sat up and pulled out parchment, quill, and ink. He had to be careful, he lectured himself sternly. After all, his disguise still needed to hold for at least the rest of the school year. He couldn't afford to give anything away even in small communications. The letter, he decided, would be addressed to Ron instead of Ron and Hermione. He wasn't sure that Hermione would be interested in hearing from him at all. The idea of Hermione's anger made him grimace before he began writing.

_Ron – _

_ I know you'll think this is strange, hearing from me after the message I left at Grimmauld Place. I'm sorry I had to leave that way, without saying goodbye to you or Hermione. I wish things could have been different, but I needed to get out of a life that wasn't honest to who I really am. I just wanted you to know that I'm in a safe place, and that I hope I can keep contact with you even though I can't tell you where I am. The spell that delivered this letter to you should allow you to send a return letter, but I'll warn you in advance that you won't be able to trace it._

_ -Harry_

_PS – If Hermione's not too angry, tell her I'm sorry, too._

"There." Harry reread his short note and nodded. It reestablished contact with his best friend without revealing anything about where Harry was. He rolled it up and pulled out his wand. With a muttered spell, the small parchment vanished in a puff of blue smoke.

Ron and Hermione were sitting in the comfortable sitting room that sat between the rooms the Headmaster of Durmstrangs had given them. Several pieces of paper lay between them on the table. Hermione had her wand out and was tapping various things on her lists and talking fast.

"We've only got two weeks to complete the basic testing. After that, we'll need to focus on people of suspicion and narrow it down to the most likely people." Ron nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah. There's not going to be much time for rest is there?"

"No, but this is more important." Hermione smiled sadly. "I just can't believe that he hasn't contacted us at all. I mean, I know he's in hiding, but we've been through so much together. I though he'd at least…" Hermione cut herself off with a gasp as a small roll of parchment appeared in a cloud of blue smoke in front of Ron. It fell on the table lightly, with a blue feather next to it.

"What is it?" Ron asked, startled. He picked up the parchment and the feather.

"I know this spell!" Hermione gasped. "It's an untraceable letter spell, and the feather should let you send a return! Is it-"

"It's from Harry," Ron said, unrolling it excitedly. He lay it out on the table, where both he and Hermione leaned over to read it. Once he had finished, Ron looked over at Hermione and was startled to see her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"Wh-what?" he asked, startled.

"He thinks that I'm angry at him," she whispered. "He really thinks that I'm angry? Oh, Harry!" She gulped down further tears and rubbed her eyes. "But at least we've heard from him now. We know he's safe."

"And we have this, remember." Ron held up the blue feather. "It'll let us write back to him.

"That's true." Hermione smiled shakily. "C-could we do that before we plan more? I mean, I just…" she trailed off as Ron rolled his eyes, looking uncertain.

"Of course we can, dummy!" He smiled. We can each write something and then attach them, all right?" He squeaked as Hermione flung her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Ron," she whispered in his ear. "For being there for me." After a moment, she let him go and turned to get writing supplies for her part of the letter, not noticing the blush that had spread across his cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

_Hi people out in cyberspace! I hope that you'll forgive me for not updating that often recently, but now that I'm back in school (ugh) you'll get more updates! So I hope that you're still interested in this story, and that you'll leave reviews so I can improve the story and my writing in general. Thanks! 3_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Harry was in his room when the return letters arrived. Malfoy was still not back from talking to the headmaster, and Harry had immersed himself in the loads of homework from his NEWT level classes. He was glaring in frustration at his Transfiguration homework when the two scrolls appeared in a puff of blue smoke, both attached to the stem of the blue feather. Harry immediately put aside his homework and seized the two letters. One was in Hermione's unmistakably neat handwriting; the other was in Ron's unruly scrawl. He decided to read Ron's first, and opened the scroll eagerly.

_Harry mate,_

_ I won't say it didn't hurt when you left, but it's good to at least know you're safe. Hermione and I have been recruited into the effort to find you. If you've seen the _Prophet _at all, you've probably realized that your disappearance isn't exactly a private matter. To a certain extent, I think I understand why you left like you did. I knew it was hard on you to be out in public so much, but I guess I didn't do enough to stop it, and for that I'm sorry. Hearing from you has put Hermione's mind at ease, so it would be nice if you could write again, if only to keep her off my back. Anyway, I know that you don't want to be found, but I also hope you understand that I have no choice but to help look for you. I may not be able to tell you what to do, but I do hope that I get to see you sometime soon. Things are pretty lonely without you._

_ -Ron_

Harry lowered the parchment, biting his lip. Ron sounded as if he understood what Harry was doing. Had his friend really seen the problem and just not done anything about it? And if that was the case, then why did he "have no choice" to help look for Harry? It was probable that Hermione was spearheading the attempt to find him, but it almost sounded as though the Ministry was pulling the strings now. Harry shook his head to clear it and picked up the second letter. Maybe whatever was in Hermione's note would explain more.

_Harry-_

_ I am so glad to hear that you're all right and that you aren't too angry with us. I want you to know that I am not in the slightest angry with you, and that I am so sorry for forcing you to do things that weren't what you wanted._ (Harry stared. Hermione was _sorry_? Had he read that right?) _But what you have to understand, Harry, is that you can't stay wherever you are forever. I know that it's mostly my fault, but a celebrity like you can't stay hidden for long. Everyone in the wizarding community will have their eyes open for you now, especially since the story in the _Prophet. _We have to search for you, Harry, and I hope you understand why. I also want you to know that anytime you want, you can come home. We'll be waiting._

_ -Hermione_

Harry sighed. So Hermione felt bad for what she had done, but still thought that he couldn't remain in hiding. Well, Harry would just have to prove her wrong. Eventually, his friends would run out of places to search in Durmstrangs. And once they left…

"What are those, Nathaniel?" Harry jumped at the sound of Malfoy's voice right next to him. Hastily, he shoved away the letters from his friends.

"When did you come in?" he demanded.

"Just a moment ago." Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "You must have been quite involved in whatever that was you were reading if you didn't notice."

"I- yeah, I guess." Harry thrust about for a new topic and quickly found one. "So what did Professor Arkoff want?"

"Oh, nothing really," Malfoy said, looking bored. "He just wanted to tell me that, as a transfer student, the inspectors will be placing a particular interest in me. They're apparently going to put in an entire other level of testing for those who transferred this year." Harry felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.

"What kind of testing?" he asked nervously.

"Well, there'll be the basic magic disguise test. Apparently they've set up an entire chamber to complete the testing in. For those of us who transferred, they'll just add in an extra spell." Malfoy smirked slightly. "The headmaster asked me to pass the information on to you, since he doesn't have time to talk to all of us."

"Yeah…" Harry gulped. "So when's your inspection?" Maybe he could get the information he needed to prepare for his own inspection out of Malfoy.

"Friday, I think." Malfoy frowned. "Actually, I think it's only a little while after yours." Harry grimaced.

"Oh. Do you know of anyone who's having theirs before that?"

"Not really. Why?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No, I just-" Harry sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to get anything else useful out of his roommate. "Never mind. I'm going to go to bed." He turned to his chest of drawers and pulled out his pajamas.

"Well, there's no need to get all snippy about it," Malfoy sad huffily. "Although I must say that there's no point in getting worked up over the inspectors. I told you what rubbish they were, didn't I?"

"I'm not worried!" Harry yelled, his patience snapping. He turned and glared at the other boy, who looked affronted.

"I was just-"

"I don't care what you were "just", Malfoy. I don't have the patience for you right now, all right?" He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Look, I'm really tired. If you really have to discuss this, can we do it in the morning?" He changed into his pajamas without looking back at the other boy and flicked the switch that would make his side of the room dark without ever turning.

The next morning, Harry woke up to find that Malfoy had already left the room. He changed into his robes with an odd feeling in his chest. He had been really frustrated with Malfoy last night, but now for some reason he felt bad about it. Normally, he wouldn't have given a second thought to yelling at his rival. But for some reason, this was different. Frowning, Harry shoved all of his books into his bag. He took the letters from Ron and Hermione and put them in the very back of one of his drawers. Still feeling odd, he walked down to breakfast.

Once he was down in the dining hall, Harry found himself looking around for Malfoy. Shaking his head, he walked over to get his food and sat down at a table full of people who he didn't know. He told himself he had only been looking for the other boy to make sure he could avoid him. But something inside him informed Harry that this wasn't true. With a frustrated sigh, Harry quickly finished eating his meal and began to walk over to the main building. Halfway there, he ran headlong into someone else.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" A familiar voice said. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you all right?" Harry nodded and levered himself to his feet, extending a hand to help the other person up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you…" He trailed off as he got his first good look at the person on the ground. It was Hermione.

"I'm all right, I just had something on my mind." Hermione took Harry's offered hand and used it to pull herself to her feet. "Things have been so hectic since the Ministry sent us here, I've been going over the magical examination schedules until late at night to get them ready."

"Oh right, you're one of the Ministry representatives, aren't you." Harry did his best to sound friendly.

"Yes, that's right. Oh, and I made you drop your books, too. Here, let me help pick them up." She pulled out her wand and waved it. Harry's class books, which had sprung from his bag when he fell, swooped up and arranged themselves neatly inside. Hermione then picked up the bag and offered it to Harry. He took it, smiling nervously.

"Thanks." They stood a moment in awkward silence in which Hermione watched him, puzzled, before Harry said "Well, I'd better get going to class. I don't want to be late."

"Oh - yes, of course." Hermione smiled. "I'll see you later, then. When are you coming in to be interviewed?"

"On Friday," Harry said. "So I guess I'll see you then."

"Yes." Hermione frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"I'm Nathaniel," Harry said. "Nathaniel Brintley."

"Nathaniel," Hermione said. "I like that name. Well, it was nice meeting you, Nathaniel."

"Yeah." Harry walked on towards the main building, breathing a sigh of relief. He tried to ignore the feeling that Hermione was watching him as he quickly strode towards the door and into the main building.

"Nathaniel?" Harry started and turned. Malfoy was standing there, looking uncertain.

"Malfoy," he said, trying to look unconcerned. "You're here early."

"Listen, Nathaniel, about last night…" Malfoy took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to offend you. I – I guess I'm trying to say…" He bit his lip and then blurted out, "I'm sorry." Harry stared. He had never heard Malfoy apologize before. It felt as though the world was crashing down around him.

"Don't worry about it," he said hastily, trying to get rid of the nervous look on Malfoy's face. It was so unnatural that Harry felt he had to do something about it.

"The thing is, Nathaniel, I really would like to be friends." Malfoy smirked slightly. "I think we have a lot in common." A lot in common? Harry was amazed that he was managing to keep his expression neutral. Had Malfoy seriously just said that they had a lot in common?

"Um, yeah, sure." Harry grinned in a slightly maniacal way, wanting nothing more then to get away from the conversation. "Look, I've gotta go to class. I'll see you later, okay?" With that he bolted away down the hall.

Harry found himself unable to concentrate in his next class. His mind was racing with all the things that had happened just that morning. Actually talking to Hermione in his disguise, Malfoy saying all of those things… It was more then Harry could handle.

"Who knows," he muttered to himself at the end of class. "Maybe it would have been easier to just stay where I was."

**Author's Note**

_Hello again! I'm amazed that this fic has gotten to five chapters. I hope that you're enjoying it, and that you'll leave more reviews for me to read. I love hearing from you! I apologize if the updates still seem really far apart, but we're moving right now, so it's hard to get access to the internet often. Anyway, I hope that you like the story so far and that you'll continue to read!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hermione turned and walked back toward the testing rooms she and Ron had set up, looking thoughtful. Since testing was due to begin today, she hadn't met any of the Durmstrang students until running into Nathaniel. He had seemed like a nice person. Hermione paused just outside the door, thinking. Maybe she could ask Nathaniel to help look for Harry? Not specifically of course, but if she went about it right, Nathaniel could be a good resource inside of the school. Entering the room, Hermione found Ron pacing back and forth, looking worried.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked immediately. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"We got a letter from the Ministry," Ron said. He reached over to a desk and seized a roll of parchment, unrolling it as he continued talking. "The other magical ministries in the world don't approve of the British Ministry interfering in Durmstrang affairs."

"But the authorities here said that it would be all right!" Hermione protested. "We got all of the permissions we needed."

"Yes, but the rest of the world didn't get consulted because it had to be rushed, remember?" Ron said, looking troubled. "So now they're upset that no one asked their opinion."

"They can't do anything about it, though." Hermione's face grew hard and stubborn. "We have every right to be here."

"Well, for now we don't have the right to be anywhere but here." Ron sighed as Hermione looked quizzically at him. "There's more to this. The magical world has decided that we have to stay here until they decide what to do. We're stuck here." Hermione's heart sank.

"So even if we do find Harry, we can't go anywhere?" Ron nodded.

"It looks that way, at least for now. Kingsley is trying to work out the problems right now. But we may be here for a while."

"Does the Headmaster know?" Hermione asked, sinking slowly into a chair, her mind racing.

"Yes. He said that we're welcome to use the rooms we already have." Ron smiled wryly. "I know this isn't exactly what we had in mind, but it's looking like we don't have a choice."

"This could actually work to our advantage," Hermione said, a plan formulating in her brain. "If we're here for a longer period of time then we originally thought, then maybe we won't have to rush so much looking for Harry. Think about it, Ron. We now have an excuse to stay here and observe students. We could even work with some of the other students to find him."

"What do you mean work with other students?" Ron wanted to know, flopping down into the chair behind his desk, looking curious.

"Well, today I met one of the students. His name's Nathaniel and he seemed to be very nice. If we could make friends with people like Nathaniel, we could have them help us in the search."

"But we can't tell anyone what we're doing," Ron pointed out.

"We wouldn't have to," Hermione said excitedly. "That's the great part, we can just ask them to look out for students acting in certain ways, or if we get another chance to write to Harry, ask them to look out for the letters."

"That's a little bit of a low blow toward Harry though," Ron said dubiously.

"It was just an idea," Hermione said. "But using students who are already here is a great strategy, and it would be harder for Harry to detect. After all, he has to know that we're here already. He must have seen us when we were introduced."

"Remind me why you're so sure he's here again?" Ron sighed. "I mean, for all we know he could be somewhere completely different."

"I've told you a million times, Kreacher was buying robes that match the description of the uniform here." Hermione smiled. "Besides, we got the first letter from Harry right after we arrived here. I hardly think that's a coincidence."

"All right, we'll try it." Ron sighed. "And in the meantime, we have magical testing to get ready for this afternoon." Hermione nodded and stood up, walking over to see the documents on Ron's desk. Now that they had a new plan, it was time to get busy.

Harry sat in the library, staring idly at his schoolwork and thinking. He hated himself for being such a wimp. He had been so fired up when he had run away in the first place, and now just seeing his friends again made him want to give up his freedom. Well, not just that. It was Malfoy, too. Harry wasn't at all sure how to deal with Malfoy. At first he had simply thought the other boy was annoying. But now, something else was starting to emerge in his mind. Inexplicably, Harry found himself wanting to spend time with his former enemy.

He had tried to tell himself that it was simply because Malfoy was his roommate, or that it was because he didn't know anyone else at Durmstrang that well. Maybe, he had reasoned, it was even because he simply enjoyed arguing with him, or looking at him as someone to be scorned. But Malfoy was revealing a side Harry had never seen before. The proud Malfoy of Hogwarts would never have admitted to being sorry for anything. But the Malfoy that Harry was seeing now was simply looking for acceptance and praise. There was something so human about his attitude that Harry found himself wanting to make that person smile.

"Yeah right," Harry muttered, packing up his things to go back to the dormitories. "When have I ever seen Malfoy genuinely smile?" He bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. If Malfoy ever started smiling at him, Harry would probably die from shock. Walking out of the main building, Harry headed across the lawn toward his room. He shivered as a cold wind whipped across the grounds. The weather was getting colder by the day. Soon, it would start snowing. Harry sighed, watching his breath puff in the air. He has chosen not to join the Quidditch team at Durmstrang. He knew it just wouldn't be the same. But part of him missed the physical activity.

Thinking about Quidditch, Harry veered toward the pitch without thinking. As he got closer, he could make out figures high in the air, the balls flying back and forth. He felt a pang in his chest, missing Hogwarts clearly for the first time since he had left the battleground there. The Quidditch pitch then had been nearly destroyed, the hoops bent and broken, scorch marks covering the ground, reminders of curses that had been cast there.

Suddenly, a clang caught Harry's attention. He turned and saw a small building that he had never been in before. It stood a little ways away from the shed where the Quidditch equipment was kept. There were no markings to suggest what was inside, but he could see silhouettes of people moving quickly through the fogged windows. Curious, he walked over, listening intently. He could hear the clash of metal on metal from within, and occasionally a shout. Harry cracked the door open and peeked inside.

The interior was one large room with a wooden floor. Benches were lined across the sides of the room, and there were cupboards whose doors did not quite shut on the equipment stored inside. In the center of the room, a coach stood yelling instructions at a pair of students. The two boys were dressed in robes obviously meant for exercising, and were panting with exertion at the exercise. Both held long, thin, sharp swords. Other boys sat on the benches around the room, obviously waiting their turns.

"Hey, it's Nathaniel, right?" Harry turned, startled, to see another seventh year in the same exercise robes as the others. He was tall, with long blonde hair held in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck and a wide, open smile that reached to his bright silver eyes.

"Yeah," he said in answer to the question, "My name's Nathaniel." He brushed his brown hair out of his eyes as the other boy nodded.

"I thought that was it," he told Harry. "You're in my Transfiguration class, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. He found himself smiling too. The grin on the other boy's face was infectious.

"I'm Matt," He said, extending a hand. "You seem interested in swordplay. Do you know how to use one?"

"No," Harry admitted. "I used to play Quidditch before, but this year it just didn't seem right. And when I was watching them play just now I heard noises in here, so…" He shrugged.

"What position did you play?" Matt asked.

"I was Seeker," Harry said. He was about to say more, but stopped himself. Just because Matt was nice didn't mean Harry could reveal parts of his past to him.

"Well, why don't you give a sword a try?" Matt reached over to a cupboard and pulled out a wooden sword, obviously used for practicing. "Seekers have really good reflexes, so you'll probably be really good at it." He offered the sword to Harry.

"Oh no, I don't think I'd be any good at it," Harry said hastily, stepping back.

"Come on, you're here already." Matt smiled invitingly. "I'll show you how. It's easy. Harry hesitated. Hadn't he just been thinking that it would be nice to get some physical exercise? And it wasn't as though he had made friends here at all. It would be nice to get to know some other people, and Matt was very nice.

"All right," he said, reaching out and taking the sword. "I suppose trying it wouldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit!" Matt grinned and turned back to the cupboard. "Let's see… I think these should fit you." He tossed some exercise robes over to Harry. "You can change over there." Harry looked where Matt was pointing and saw a door he hadn't noticed before. Letting his bag slide to the floor, he walked over and opened it. Inside was a locker room similar to the ones used for Quidditch. It was empty currently because everyone who normally used it was already changed and in the main room. Each locker was labeled with the name of its owner. Harry found an unclaimed one and changed quickly, shoving his school robes into the locker. When he was done changing, he grabbed the practice sword from where he had laid it. He turned it over in his hands for a moment, the weight of it feeling odd in his hands. Finally, he shrugged and walked back out into the main room. The two boys who had been fighting before had obviously just finished and were using towels to wipe away their sweat. Matt, seeing Harry, pulled the instructor over.

"Nathaniel, this is Professor Schwartz. He teaches Arithmancy, but helps coach us in his spare time."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Harry said, shaking the professor's hand. He was a little shorter then Harry The older man smiled at him.

"Matt said your name is Nathaniel?"

"That's right, Nathaniel Brintley." The professor nodded in approval.

"You used to be a Seeker, I hear. Well, we'll make a swordsman out of you soon enough. Matt, show him the ropes. I need to work hard to whip these first years into shape."

"Not a problem, sir." Matt smiled as Professor Schwartz walked away. "He's a nice guy, really. He just enjoys making us into great fighters."

"I didn't know wizards were even interested in swords," Harry admitted. "It just doesn't seem like a very magical thing."

"Maybe not," Matt said reflectively, cocking his head to one side. "But the discipline of it helps us gain control, and it can also help with stress levels. A stressed wizard can make mistakes, and that can be deadly." He laughed. "But why are we talking about that? I'm supposed to be showing you how to use that sword, not hold it." He led Harry over to a corner of the room where there were mirrors on the wall. "It helps to see yourself at first," Matt explained. "All right. We'll start with the basics…"

Draco Malfoy was sitting on his bed in the room he shared with Nathaniel, thinking. He couldn't understand it. No matter how much he tried to make friends with the other boy, Nathaniel pulled away. It didn't make any sense, no matter how he tried to work it out. It wasn't as though he knew his roommate from anywhere else, they had met for the first time on the first day of school. And he had done a thorough search of the family tree; the Malfoys weren't related to any Brintleys. So what was it? There had to be some reason why Nathaniel was always making a point of not being friendly.

Just then, Nathaniel himself entered the room. His brown hair was damp with sweat, and he was flushed but happy looking. He was carrying his school bag on one shoulder and a piece of parchment in his other hand. Seemingly not noticing Draco, he threw down his schoolbag and flopped onto his bed.

"What on earth have you been doing, Nathaniel?" Draco demanded. Nathaniel looked over as though surprised to see his roommate there.

"Huh?"

"What have you been doing?" Draco glared at the other boy. "You've obviously been doing something unusual. And what's that parchment?"

"Oh, this." Nathaniel looked at the parchment he still held in his hand. "I joined the sword fighting team today."

"You did?" Draco stared. "I wasn't aware you knew how to fight with a sword."

"I don't," Nathaniel said, rolling his eyes. "I'm learning."

"Oh." Draco sat still on his bed, not knowing what else to say. His father had hired someone to teach Draco how to use a sword when his son had been only seven. However, it had been years since he had used one. Maybe he should join the team, too. After all, he had given up Quidditch now that Potter wasn't here to compete with. That was the entire reason for playing the game in the first place. But maybe sword fighting would give him a chance to get exercise as well as another chance to try and become friends with his obstinate roommate.

Without saying a word, Draco stood and walked out of the room. He thought he heard Nathaniel ask him where we was going, but he ignored the other boy. Once on the lawn, he began walking toward the Quidditch pitch. Partway there, he saw two familiar figures. Weasley and Granger were walking across the grounds toward the main building. Draco decided to ignore them. But, with typical annoying accuracy, Granger spotted him and nudged Weasley. They both paused, talking, and then approached Draco."

"It _is_ Malfoy, see?" Draco heard Granger say when they were still a little ways away. Malfoy stopped and glared at them both condescendingly.

"What do you two want?" He drawled carelessly. Weasley glared at him.

"We want to know what in the name of Merlin's pants you're doing here, Malfoy."

"My, my, Weasley, watch your language. Is it a crime to be on the grounds of my own school?"

"You _go_ here?" Weasley stared incredulously. "Why?"

"I feel no need to explain myself to you," Draco said haughtily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to get on with what had been an otherwise pleasant day."

"Prat," Weasley muttered as Draco sauntered casually away. He ignored the mutterings behind him as he walked toward the fencing house. Maybe once he befriended Nathaniel, the two of them could take on the idiot Griffindors together.

**Author's Note**

_Hello to everyone who has made it this far in my story! I hope that you're enjoying it, and I apologize for any inconsistencies. Since I don't currently have a beta reader, I don't always catch things. I'm overwhelmed by the number of you who are reading this story. Thank you so much to everyone who has put this story on alert! I never expected it to get this kind of response. I apologize once again for the gap between updates, and promise that I'll do my best to lessen the gap between chapters. As always, please leave reviews so I can know what you think! Thanks for reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Draco entered the fencing house to find it nearly deserted. Practice had ended a while before, so hardly anyone was there. He recognized Professor Schwartz, and recalled hearing somewhere that the Arithmancy teacher was also in charge of the sword fighting team. There was also a tall boy with blonde hair, who was facing away from Draco and talking to a first year. Professor Schwartz walked over to Draco.

"Malfoy, isn't it?" Draco nodded. "Interested in joining the team, then?"

"Sort of." Draco shrugged. "My roommate joined today, and I remembered that it had been a while since I had used a sword."

"Ah, then you must be rooming with Brintley." Draco nodded. "He's a nice lad, good reflexes. Apparently he used to be a Seeker, but he picked up the basics quick enough today from our team captain." He turned toward the tall boy at the other end of the room. "Matt! We got another one!"

Draco stared as the boy turned. He was obviously a seventh year, and his silver eyes were filled with welcome. However, he frowned when he saw the newcomer, and then his eyes widened in recognition. Draco stared as he realized who the other boy was.

"Matt?"

"Draco?" Professor Schwartz raised an eyebrow.

"I would take it you two know each other, then?"

"Yeah," Matt said, still staring. "We're cousins." He shook his head. "I heard you were at Hogwarts, Draco. What are you doing _here_?"

"Going to school, what does it look like?" Draco folded his arms across his chest.

"I don't know, you tell me!" Matt glared across the room at the other boy. Professor Schwartz looked back and forth between them, and then sighed.

"Well, I'll be going then. Matt, try not to scare him away, all right? We need more people on the team." With that, he turned and left. Draco raised an eyebrow at his cousin.

"Are you going to stop yelling at me now?" he asked coolly. Matt sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? But seriously, what do you expect me to do when you show up here out of nowhere?"

"It's not out of nowhere," Draco pointed out. "I've been here since the first day, same as you." While his voice still sounded calm and uninterested, his insides felt as though they were twisting into a knot. He hadn't seen Matthew Fennec since he was ten, yet his cousin had been instantly recognizable. The two had spent a lot of time together when they were small; Draco's father and Matt's mother were siblings, and the two boys had been born almost exactly a year apart.. But as they had gotten older and were approaching school age, their parents had gotten into a huge argument. Draco's father had insisted that his son would learn of the Dark Arts, and be encouraged to revive the army of the Dark Lord when he was old enough. Matt's parents, however, had never had anything to do with the Dark Lord. They were adamant that that era was behind the wizarding world, and that Matt would have nothing to do with it. Draco and Matt had never seen each other again after that. Now that the War was over, Draco hadn't even thought about contacting his cousin, and yet here they were. Silence stretched between the two until Matt started laughing. Draco stared.

"What?"

"Nothing, really, I just…" Matt grinned. "Do you know how long it's been since we saw each other? We used to be really good friends, and now here we are glaring across a room at one another." Draco half smiled.

"All right, fair enough. So what do you want to do about it?"

"I need to finish cleaning up here," Matt said, turning toward one of the closets. "If you'll wait, we can go talk somewhere."

"I'll do more then wait," Draco said, walking over. "What can I do to help?"

Ron and Hermione were back in their rooms in the main building. The testing for the day had revealed no clues as to where Harry might be, and yet neither of them was talking about that. Hermione was too busy trying to figure out what was going on with Draco Malfoy.

"I just don't understand it," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Why is he here, of all places?"

"You've asked me that at least five times now, Hermione, and I still don't know." Ron groaned as he stood up from his chair and stretched. "What do you want me to say, that he kidnapped Harry and is forcing him to write to us?"

"Well, he has to know something about it!" Hermione insisted. "There's no other reason for him to be here, he was at Hogwarts for his last year, wasn't he?"

"Yes, but how much of that do you think was learning?" Ron pointed out. "Besides, if he was in trouble, I'm sure Harry would manage to get word to us somehow, and Kreacher wouldn't have been so calm about it. You're overanalyzing."

"Kreacher would have had to be calm if Harry told him to," Hermione said stubbornly. "I still think Malfoy has something to do with this."

"And I think you're wrong." Ron had now moved into the other room. "Can we not talk about this, Hermione? Would it kill you to have a conversation about something normal for a change?" Hermione was about to retort when Ron yelped from his bedroom. She quickly stood and walked toward the doorway, where she was met by Ron, carrying another blue feather and a roll of parchment.

"The problem with this method of sending letters," he commented wryly, "Is that it's actually very disconcerting to have blue smoke come out of nowhere when you're simply minding your own business."

"Never mind that," Hermione said impatiently. "Is it from Harry?"

"Who else?" Ron walked over to the table and laid the letter out flat.

_Ron and Hermione,_

_Did you know that you're becoming famous? You were in the _Prophet _this morning. Now you know how it feels to be on the front page, huh? I was glad to hear that you're both doing all right, even if you are busy looking for me. Ron, make sure Hermione doesn't overexert herself on this, all right? And there's no point in denying that you would, Hermione, because I've seen you study. Anyway, even though there's a lot of controversy around you right now, this kind of thing always blows over in the end. Just ignore it, and it'll go away soon enough._

_ --Harry_

"And again, nothing of real substance," Hermione said with a sigh.

"He knows you too well," Ron chuckled. "See? I've been given permission to stop you from going overboard."

"Oh, that's an exaggeration," Hermione said impatiently. Ron raised his eyebrow at her, and she smiled. "Oh, all right, maybe not. But still, I know not to do too much."

"If you say so," Ron said, standing and yawning. "I didn't know we were in the _Prophet_ this morning, though. Was it because of that international debate over us being here?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "I left the paper out for you this morning, though. Didn't you see it?"

"I missed it," Ron said, wandering back into his bedroom. "Do you still have it somewhere?"

"It's right here." Hermione picked the paper up off the table in front of her, teasing it out from beneath a few rolls of parchment. She poked her head into Ron's room and tossed it at him before returning to the other room, biting her lip. In a sense, it was too bad that they had been in the paper. Now Harry had an excuse for knowing where they were. But if he was reading the _Prophet_, there might be a clue in subscriptions. Should she send an owl to the paper…?

"You're worrying again," Ron commented from the other room. "I can tell."

"What if I am?" Hermione retorted.

"Take a night off," Ron advised. "We can work on it tomorrow, all right?" Hermione said nothing, and Ron poked his head into the main room, a grin on his face.

"Harry said not to let you stress out too hard."

"Oh, all right!" Hermione snapped. "That's mean, you know."

"I know," Ron said, retreating back into his room. "I just don't care." Hermione rolled her eyes as she headed for her own bedroom and the promise of sleep.

Draco and Matt sat across from each other in the dining hall in Matt's building, both sipping at bottles of Butterbeer. The phoenix hall was not much different from the dragon hall where Draco slept, except for some of the pictures that hung on the wall. Currently, his eyes were captivated by a magnificent painting of a fire on the wall, out of which the shape of a bird was rising. The shape twisted and turned in a hypnotic fashion. At last, Draco sighed and looked away, his eyes turning automatically back towards his cousin.

"It's even more beautiful then some of the pictures at the Manor," he said. Matt smiled.

"I'm not so sure. I do have some memories of your house, you know." He leaned back in his chair and stretched. "But I do like the paintings in this hall, I always have."

"You've been in the same hall since first year, then?" Matt nodded.

"Which hall did they put you in? I don't think Nathaniel said when he was in at the fencing house."

"Dragon hall," Draco replied. "It seems like they put most of the transfer students in there."

"Which reminds me, why were you transferring in the first place?" Matt leaned forward across the table. "Technically, you shouldn't even be in school still, right? You're eighteen now."

"Yeah, but the War changed everything," Draco sighed. "When they put Death Eaters in charge of a school, you don't exactly learn much of value. Not to mention the fact that going to school here keeps me out of the public eye for a while. Since my family got involved with the losing side, there's a lot of negative publicity towards us." He shrugged. "So, my parents decided that it would be best to get me out of the way, and that I should finish NEWT classes."

"So that's why you're at Durmstrang." Matt sighed. "I can't even imagine how many people were angry at you after the War."

"Angry is putting it lightly." Draco swept his hair out of his eyes. "And it was even worse because we were all branded with… well, you know." He gestured at his arm, and Matt's eyes widened.

"You have the Dark Mark?" He whispered. Draco nodded.

"The Ministry even had Healers examine them. There's no way to make them completely go away. Now that _he's_ dead, they're really faint, but…" He shrugged. "It's there for life."

"But You-Know-Who _is_ dead," Matt said firmly, "so there's really no point in worrying about it, is there?"

"No, there really isn't." Draco smiled at his cousin, then felt a wave of shock. When was the last time he had actually _smiled_ at a person, instead of simply sneering at them?

"There, see?" Matt was grinning across the table at his cousin. "You're more cheerful already."

"You always did have an unfair ability to make me smile," Draco grumbled. "You even got me in trouble with Father."

"What can I say?" Matt spread his hands in mock innocence. "All of that 'hide your emotions' stuff is ridiculous." He took a drink of Butterbeer, then looked back at Draco, his eyes a little uncertain now. "I would like to be friends again. I miss the carefree Draco from when we were little." Draco sat back, startled. Had he really changed that much from childhood to becoming an adult? Thinking back, he remembered times when he and Matt had done things simply for the joy of it, and not because they worried about what people would think. With a jolt, Draco realized that he had become someone based entirely off of others opinions. He looked over at his cousin again and felt another smile stretch across his face.

"I think I'd like that."

**Author's Note**

_I feel like I'm always repeating this, but I'm really sorry for the delay between updates! I'd like to give special thanks to of singing clouds for her help with this chapter. I had a hard time with the plot this time. I hope that it turned out okay, anyways… Also thanks to everyone who has put this story on alert! I can't believe that there are over 65 people reading this on a regular basis. I'll try and do my best for you, so please keep reading! I'd also like to give a warning in advance that I won't be writing any new chapters in the month of November because of National Novel Writing Month. However, I will try to churn out several chapters during the end of this month so that I can update at least once or twice next month. As always, please leave reviews so I can know what you think!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning, Harry woke up earlier then usual. He lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Yesterday already seemed like a long ways away to him; meeting Matt, learning how to fence, it all seemed so unlike who he had been at Hogwarts. It was almost as though Nathaniel was becoming his own person and creating a life of his own. Harry sighed and sat up. His magical examination was tomorrow. Today he would have to finish his preparations and double check that his disguise was safe.

Harry swung his legs out of bed and stood, stretching out muscles slightly stiff from yesterday's workout. His brown hair fell down into his eyes, and Harry sighed in exasperation. Having longer hair had definite disadvantages. He raked it back with his fingers, then frowned as his eyes caught a flash of blue. A letter sat on his desk, attached to the blue feather that marked it as the return letter from his friends. He picked it up and was about to unroll it when he heard a yawn from behind him. Harry mentally cursed himself for not checking to see if his roommate had left yet as he shoved the letter hastily into his desk drawer. Turning, he saw Malfoy too shaking hair out of his gray eyes.

"I'm surprised you're up this early," Harry said lightly, trying to sound nonchalant. "You were out fairly late last night."

"Yeah," Malfoy said, standing and beginning to get dressed. "I went down to the fencing house and ran into someone." Startled, Harry froze partway through putting on his own robes.

"Why did you go down there?"

"Well, you mentioned it, and I realized I haven't fought with a sword myself for a while." Malfoy shrugged. "And like I said, I saw someone I knew down there. We talked for a while after I signed up to be on the fencing team."

"You signed up to be on the team?" Harry finished tugging on his robes and turned to stare at his roommate. "Just because I did it?"

"Look, it wasn't a big deal," Draco said defensively. "Besides, it's not all about you, Nathaniel. My cousin happens to be the captain."

"The captain… wait, Matt?" Harry gaped. "You and Matt are _cousins_? I never even knew you had a cousin!"

"Well, of course you wouldn't. You've only known me for a few weeks." Malfoy gave Harry an odd look. "Besides, how was I supposed to tell you anything when you've been avoiding almost all conversations with me?" Harry opened his mouth to deny it, then stopped. It was true that he had been avoiding Malfoy, but that was only because the two were enemies from before. But looking at it from Malfoy's perspective, Harry supposed "Nathaniel" had been pretty unreasonable. If he wanted to make this new self last, he realized with a shock, he would have to try and be more reasonable, especially with Malfoy.

"Okay, you're right." Harry sighed, flopping onto his bed and reaching for his shoes. "I'm sorry, all right? I've had things on my mind."

"Like what?" The other boy cocked his head slightly, looking curious.

"Just… family things, I guess. It's pretty complicated." Harry hastily changed the subject away from his problems. "So how long has it been since you saw Matt, Malfoy?"

"Draco." Harry turned his head, startled. Malfoy was sitting on the end of his own bed, looking determined.

"What?"

"My name's not Malfoy, it's Draco." Malfoy shrugged. "If you're serious about being friends, you should call me by my name." Harry hesitated for a moment, and then gave in.

"All right then… Draco." Harry frowned. The name felt a lot more natural in his mouth then he would have expected. "How long has it been?"

"Since I saw Matt?" Draco frowned. "A little over seven years. Our families had… disagreements. But I talked to him yesterday, and we worked things out."

"That's good." Harry reached for his school bag and began checking that he had everything inside. He noticed that he was low on ink and frowned. He'd have to send an order in for more, but he wasn't sure where he could get an owl to send the request with.

"Shoot. Do you know where the owlery is?" Draco frowned, thinking.

"I think it's in the main building. Do you want me to show you where?"

"Yeah, I guess." Harry slung his bag over his shoulder, quickly grabbing the letter from his desk drawer and shoving it in before Draco could see. Then he grabbed his wand from his bedside table and followed his roommate out of the room. Maybe he had been right about Nathaniel being a different person from Harry. Willfully accepting help from "Draco" was something that Harry never would have done. But as Harry thought about it, he couldn't decide if the changes a bad thing.

________________________________________________________________________

Harry had a free period first thing every Thursday morning. Normally that would be an excuse to sleep in, but today it gave him an opportunity to do more research on basic tests for magical disguises. He had compiled several pages of notes on them recently, and was now checking them with a list of spells the _verkleiden liebe_ potion protected against. So far, he hadn't come across anything that he couldn't cope with, but he wasn't going to get overconfident. Protecting his new identity wasn't something that could be taken lightly.

Harry was almost done with his list when he remembered the letter he had stuffed into his bag earlier that day. He frowned down at his notes, which were covered in marks to indicate the spells that were most likely to be used and the level of protection his disguise offered against them. He didn't have enough time to read the letter and finish up the list this morning. With regret, he realized that he would have to finish his research before anything else. Harry turned back to the books he had laid out in front of him and finished his list just as the bell rang to mark the beginning of class. He sighed as he opened his bag to replace his papers and caught a glimpse of the blue feather attached to the letter. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to read it until this afternoon after fencing. And if Draco was still in the room, it might limit him to having to read it tomorrow after his actual confrontation with them.

Harry hurried to his Transfiguration class and arrived just in time. Professor Veran gave him a disapproving look, but settled right down into the lesson.

"Today, class, we will be working further with the Transfiguration of the human body. I want you to pair off and work on Transfiguration of just the eyes. You have the basics down, but many of you need to work on the control necessary to change just a single part of the body. The instructions are on the board in the front of the room. Please complete the exercises in a timely fashion." Harry reached down and grabbed his wand from his bag, then looked up as someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Matt said, grinning. "Want to work together?"

"That would be great," Harry said, feeling his own face break out into a smile. "I don't really know anyone else in this class."

"You should try to meet them, then." Matt frowned as the two began to practice their spells, first trying to change the color of the other person's eyes. "If you'll allow me to be brutally honest, Nathaniel, you seem to be a bit antisocial. It's almost as though there's another side of you that you spend half your time trying to suppress." Harry stared. Matt had just come far too close to the truth for his comfort.

"I'm not antisocial," He protested. "I just transferred to a school where everyone else has known each other for years, and I'm a year older then all my year mates."

"Not all of them," Matt reminded him. "There's Draco."

"Still," Harry said, turning his thoughts firmly away from his roommate. "You know what I mean."

"I guess I do. But not all of it is your personal habits, either. Your name sounds intimidating all by itself."

"Hey! Why are you making fun of my name?" Harry demanded, indignant. He had been happy with the name when Ollivander had come up with it, and so far it had suited his purposes perfectly.

"There's nothing wrong with your name," Matt said patiently. "It's just, have you ever had a nickname? Nathaniel is a bit of a mouthful sometimes. Think about it, my full name is Matthew. I decided that was too long, and since I was little everyone's called me Matt." He frowned at Harry. "You look like a Nathan to me."

"Nathan?" Harry tried the name out loud. "I dunno…"

"Well, I do." Matt nodded decisively, lowering his wand as they finished the exercises the teacher had set them. "From now on, I'm going to call you Nathan. If I put myself out, I could probably get everyone else to call you that too."

"You're not giving me much of a choice here," Harry pointed out.

"Nope." Matt grinned evilly. "I'm pretty well known here. By tomorrow, everyone in the school will know." Harry put his hands up in mock surrender, feeling a smile stretch across his own face.

"All right, I give in. Nathan it is."

"I knew you'd see things my way," Matt laughed as they sat down next to each other and waited for the rest of the class to finish the exercises. "People generally do."

________________________________________________________________________

Sure enough, within two hours of Matt's decision, people began to call Harry Nathan. People he had never even seen before called out the nickname in the halls and waved. By the time he got to the fencing house at the end of the day, Harry was used to it and found the entire situation highly amusing.

"Enjoying your new identity?" Matt asked wickedly when he entered the locker room.

"Oh, immensely." Harry laughed. "You seem to have made me a sort of instant celebrity. Even the teachers are calling me that now."

"Well, that's what happens when you register an official nickname with the school," Matt grinned even wider. "That's why all the teachers call me Matt, you know. You are now officially entered into the school records as 'Nathan Brintley'."

"Are you even allowed to do that?" Harry wanted to know as he pulled on his exercise robes. Another boy in the room laughed. Harry recognized him as one of the boys who had been fighting when he first found the fencing house.

"Knowing Matt, probably not," he said. "But he has a way of getting what he wants with the administration anyway."

"It's my natural charm and wit," Matt boasted, striking a pose. He held it for about five seconds until Draco walked in and elbowed him in the ribs.

"If anyone had natural charm and wit, it's not you," He informed his cousin as the other boys roared with laughter. "Hello, Nathan. You seem to be the talk of the school today."

"Yeah, we were just mentioning that," Harry said. He would have said more, but Professor Schwartz stuck his head into the room at that moment.

"All right, lads, get going in here! Less of the sharp wits, more of the sharp swords!" He winked at Harry. "Especially you, Nathan. New school celebrity you may be, but that doesn't excuse you from practice. If you're changed, get out here." Harry merely shook his head, grinned, and walked out into the main room, practice sword in hand. Maybe Matt was right; making new friends here wasn't a bad thing after all.

**Author's Note**

_Hi everyone! Once again, apologies for the long wait between updates. (I feel like I say that every time! I'm so sorry!) I've been trying to participate in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). However, since I'm abysmally behind both on homework, college aps, and my Nano, I decided I might as well finish up chapter 8. I can't believe there are over eighty people on alert for this fic now! I am so grateful to all of you, and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story. I'll probably get chapter 9 up at the end of November, but I do hope to get my Nano (along with homework and such) done as well. So please have patience, and I hope you liked the chapter!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Harry sat in a waiting room, nervously fiddling with his wand in his pocket. This was the outer room where people waited for disguise testing by Ron and Hermione. He was sure that his disguise could take magical testing – he had even added on a couple of safeguards just for today – but that wasn't what was making him nervous. The idea of seeing his friends and trying to deceive them in person was far more worrying. He still hadn't had a chance to read the latest letter they had sent him, either. There were a couple of other boys also in the waiting room, but Harry didn't know them. He shifted restlessly in his chair. If only this were already over…

The door to the main room opened, and a seventh year who Harry vaguely knew walked out. He gave Harry a smile of recognition before leaving. Then, Ron's head poked out the open door. Harry gulped as he met his friend's eyes.

"Nathan Brintley?" Ron asked. Harry nodded and stood up, trying to hide his nerves. He entered the room, feeling a slight tingling as he passed through the doorway. Ron closed the door behind him and conjured a chair up, which Harry sat in. Hermione looked up from pulling out a piece of parchment and smiled.

"I remember you. Nathaniel, wasn't it?"

"Nathan," Harry said, trying to sound casual. "One of my friends decided I needed a nickname."

"Nathan, then." Hermione stood up from the desk and walked over to him. "Can I see your wand, please?" Harry handed it over, and Hermione placed it on a small scale on the desk. There was a flash of light and a tiny piece of parchment appeared. She nodded.

"This seems to be in order. Ollivander made, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "He owed my family a favor, so…" He trailed off. Technically it was ture, so it wouldn't set off any lie detection spells. He had to watch what he said.

"All right, then please hold still a moment while I perform some basic disguise checks. There were some on the doorway as you entered, but I need to double check. Then we'll ask a few questions while we wait for the results, all right?" Harry nodded. Hermione raised her wand and waved it over his head. He was bathed in a place blue light and his skin tingled. He braced himself. If he was going to be discovered, this was the time… But the blue light faded and he was still Nathan. Hermione nodded.

"There, we should get the results in another few minutes." She looked over at Ron, who nodded.

"I just have a few things that we need to clarify in your information," He said. "It says here that you were homeschooled for a while. Why did you decide to come here this year, even though you're already eighteen?"

"I never took my NEWTs," Harry said, picking his words carefully. "I thought that it would be a good idea to finish my education formally, and it was also an excuse to get away from some other problems at home."

"What sorts of problems?" Hermione asked sharply.

"It's all a bit personal, if you don't mind," Harry said, trying to look embarrassed.

"Not a problem," Ron said, shooting Hermione a look. "It also says here that you're rooming with…" His eyes widened when he got to the name. Harry had to suppress a smile, thinking of the shock his friend was probably feeling right now.

"Draco Malfoy, he's also a transfer student," He said. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter as Hermione's eyes widened as well.

"So you're rooming with Malfoy?" She said, her voice taking on the business like quality that Harry had heard so many times before. "Does he act unusual in any way? Does he vanish for long periods of time, say, or have a lot of contact with a particular student?" Harry grimaced inwardly. They were obviously suspecting Draco of having something to do with his disappearance.

"No, not really," he said. "I mean, he joined the fencing team with me. But he doesn't seem to spend a lot of time with anyone other then his cousin Matt. And me, I guess." He was startled to realize that he was probably the closest thing Draco had to a friend on campus, other then Matt.

"I see…" Hermione looked disappointed. Then a thought seemed to occur to her. "Listen, Nathan, could we ask you to do something for us?"

"Like what?" Harry asked, startled.

"Well, thus far you've been truthful with us, and your records seem to be in order," she said. Harry let out a small sigh of relief. So he had been right about the truth spells.

"And?"

"Well, I'd like to ask you to keep an eye on Malfoy for us." Ron started to speak, but Hermione cut him off. "No, hear me out. The truth is, Nathan, that the British Ministry has sent us here on a matter that is as secret as it is important. We can't reveal to you the true nature of it, but the important thing is that we think Draco Malfoy may be involved. If it's all right with you, would you report any suspicious activity to us?" Harry's mind raced. This could create so many complications right off the top. It would involve a lot of interaction with his friends; and what was more, he wasn't sure that he wanted to report on Draco to them. The thought that he wanted to keep Draco's privacy made him frown.

"I don't know," He said, trying to buy time. "I mean, that's a lot to ask me without even telling me why."

"I know," Hermione said. "But it's really, really important Nathan. And I think from what I've seen that you're the best person to do that for us." Harry closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them.

"Could I have some time to think about it?" He asked. "I mean, I don't want to seem like I don't want to help you. But I really can't say yes or no without any thought."

"That seems reasonable," Ron said. There was a flash of light in front of him, and he grabbed the parchment that appeared. Harry assumed they were his test results.

"Well, I think that's everything then," Hermione said, glancing at Ron. He didn't say anything. "Please do get back to us though, Nathan. We'd really appreciate it."

"Yeah," Harry said, standing. He left the room with his mind racing. Of all the people they could have asked for help, of course they had to ask him. At least it looked like his secret was safe – for now.

________________________________________________________________________

"Ron, what's wrong with you?" Hermione asked, walking over to her friend. "You're staring at those results like they're poisoned or something."

"Do you have any idea what this means?" Ron pointed to the results. Where normally there would be a set of numbers for results, there was a single line.

"'Error, true nature unavailable'? What does that mean?" Hermione looked at Ron, confusion on her face. "That should only happen if he was an Animagi or something. And since he obviously isn't… I wonder why the tests didn't work?"

"And here I was thinking he seemed a nice guy," Ron said. "Apparently this Nathan has something to hide after all."

"You don't think that he could be Harry, do you?" Hermione frowned. "The story could fit, he's the right age and year too. And the whole thing with Ollivander owing him a favor…" She shook her head. "But there's no way that he could have inserted that much false information into the Ministry, there's no way! And Durmstrang does background checks on their students, too!"

"I don't think he's Harry," Ron said. "Although you never know. He is the only one we've found so far that's even close."

"So then we should keep an eye on him, even when we're asking him to keep an eye on someone else." Hermione sighed. "Great, even more complications."

"It'll be fine," Ron said. "Besides, whatever Nathan's trying to hide, he can't do it forever. He doesn't seem to be a bad guy, after all. We just need to make sure that if he is Harry, we take away everything that's letting him hide."

**Author's Note**

_Well, I wasn't sure that I would ever continue this. But as a special birthday gift to my friend, here is chapter 9! Woo! ^^_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Harry walked back to his room and opened the door with a sigh. Thankfully, the room appeared vacant. He threw his bag down on the floor and flopped face down on his bed, his face buried in the pillow. After lying there for a minute, he rolled over to look at the ceiling.

"Why couldn't my life be simple, just this once?" He demanded.

"Because it would be far too boring that way?" Draco suggested, leaning over him. Harry yelped and whacked his roommate over the head with the pillow before he realized what he was doing. Draco staggered backwards and sat down on his own bed.

"I'm not sure I deserved that," he remarked, pulling the pillow off his face and raising his eyebrows at Harry, who winced.

"Sorry… I didn't think you were in here is all. You surprised me."

"Well, I can't say anything against your reflexes," Draco said, throwing the pillow back. Harry caught it expertly and put it back on his bed. "You'd make a good Seeker."

"Ah… I used to be one, but… you know, stuff happens," Harry said hastily, still trying to pull his mind back to the present. "You have your interview with the British Ministry today, right?" Harry resisted the urge to beat his own head against the wall. Why on earth had he changed the subject to that? His friends were the last thing he wanted to talk about right now.

"Yeah, I do," Draco said with a sigh. "And I'm sure that those idiots already suspect me to high heaven for whatever they're here investigating." He looked thoughtful. "Actually, now that you mention it I think Professor Schwartz mentioned that you'd been a Seeker. I thought you were homeschooled though?"

"How does that mean I can't play Quidditch?" Harry demanded. Draco smirked at him.

"All right, fine, don't share. Anyway, I forgot to tell Matt that I wouldn't be at practice today because of my interview, so I'm going to go talk to him and then head over to talk to the dummy duo. See you later."

"All right," Harry said. Draco walked out, and as soon as the door shut, Harry flopped back on his bed, eyes closed.

"I mean it," he muttered at the ceiling. "Just once, having life be simple would be nice." He rolled over onto his side and eyed his bag. Then he remembered the letter from his friends was still in there, unread. He frowned. Draco had left, so he should be safe… he reached out and grabbed his bag, extracting the letter and unrolling the parchment. This time, the letter appeared to be only from Ron.

_Harry-_

_Well, you obviously noticed how insane things have become around me and Hermione. Creating an international crisis, hanging out at Durmstrang… the fun never ends. Things have been busy for the both of us, interviewing every student on campus and all… We still have quite a few interviews left. Who knows, maybe we'll even interview you, mate. Can't imagine how awkward that would be._ ("I can," Harry muttered.) _Anyways, you probably already know what we're up to from the _Prophet._ Although, as ever, it doesn't tell the whole story. Hermione's already formulating new plans to find you… And she's also got it into her head that Draco Malfoy is involved somehow. Honestly I think she's bonkers in that respect, but you know her. Once she gets something into her head, there's nothing to be done._

_I hope that you're doing well, mate, even if you're not at Durmstrangs. If anything happens and you need help, just owl me, all right? If necessary I can keep a secret from Hermione. Mum also owled me to say that she's worried about you and if I find you I'm to Apparate straight home so she can see for herself you're fine. If you don't mind, it would be nice if you could include a little note for her in your next letter, if only to get her off my back. And assuming you write another letter. Which I hope you do. All right, this is getting longer then I intended it to. Talk to you later, Harry._

_Ron_

Harry smiled a little sadly. He would have to be sure to write Mrs. Weasley a note. Somehow it hadn't occurred to him to contact her, and she was probably worried sick. He placed the parchment back in his bag. He could write to her – and to Ron – later. For now, he needed to get ready for fencing practice.

The air in the interview room was icy cold. Draco Malfoy sat in the interview chair, and he and Hermione appeared to have begun a glaring contest. Ron sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This could be complicated.

"Look, Malfoy, all we need to do it run some basic disguise checks," He told the former Slytherin. "We've seen your records, they're all in order, and this is just part of protocol at this point."

"Is it really, Weasley?" Malfoy drawled. "Because something in Granger's look tells me otherwise."

"Look, Malfoy, I personally don't think I believe your innocent story," Hermione said. "And I think you know why we're really here. Is there any information you want to share with us?"

"Quite honestly, Granger, I have no idea." Malfoy crossed his arms, looking casual. "While I assumed that the Death Eater story was merely an excuse, I have no idea what task the Ministry could possibly have that involves sending you two out here to create in international incident."

"As if you don't know!" Hermione snapped. "I know you have to be involved with this somehow! You and Harry have never gotten along, and I find it too much of a coincidence –"

"_Potter_ is here?" Malfoy frowned. "How on earth did that come about?" Hermione stopped and stared at him.

"You really didn't know?" She demanded. "I mean… why would you be here if… I was so sure…"

"Look, Malfoy, this is supposed to be top secret stuff," Ron sighed, standing up from behind his desk. "Yes, we have reason to believe Harry is here somewhere. We can't tell you why, but that is the primary reason we're here."

"And I still find it hard to believe that you know nothing about it," Hermione stated flatly. "You can put forth the innocent act, but if Harry's here, it's too much of a coincidence that you're here as well! You have to know _something_!" She looked at Malfoy again, but this time her look was more one of pleading. He sighed.

"I will swear under any truth spell you want, Granger. I know nothing. But if finding him will get you two dweebs out of my life faster, then I may be willing to do a little snooping around." Ron stared.

"I must be hearing things. Did you honestly just offer to help?"

"Truth be told, Weasley, having you here is an annoyance to me. This is my school, and people like you do not belong here. Neither does Potter, for that matter. The sooner I get you out of here, the better my life will be. I do have things I would rather be doing then having you two invading the privacy of my friends."

"We're not invading –" Hermione began, but Ron cut her off.

"Fine then. We'll make a deal. If you can help us out with this – secretly, mind – then we will stay out of your affairs as much as possible and get out of here as fast as we can. But if we find out that you're involved in this, all bets are off." He glared at Malfoy. "Does that work for you, ferret?"

"Quite nicely, Weasley." Malfoy stood, smirking at both of them. "If that's all then, I'll be leaving." With that, he walked out of the room.

"I don't trust him," Hermione said immediately. "He didn't even let us run tests on him! And he was being too nice!"

"It's possible he's changed," Ron said slowly, "But I see what you mean. He did manage to evade the body of the testing, and he was being nicer then usual. I mean, he didn't even glare at me when I called him a ferret."

"Harry knows Malfoy well enough to impersonate him," Hermione pointed out. "And the Malfoy family is in hiding. There's really no way to confirm if he's in hiding too, or if that's really him."

"But honestly…" Ron looked down at his desk. "I dunno, Hermione. I don't like to think that Harry could disguise himself as one of his biggest rivals and then walk in here and treat us like that. It's not like him. Even if Malfoy was nicer then usual, he still treated us like dirt."

"That's true." Hermione sighed. "I don't know what to think, Ron. I mean, he was under a basic truth spell. But somehow… I still think that he's more closely involved then he's letting on."

"Or maybe," Ron said thoughtfully, "He's more involved then even he knows."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Draco walked back towards his room, thinking. While he still regretted missing fencing practice, the meeting with the Gryffindors had been… enlightening. While he had known they had to be up to more then they were letting on, he had never imagined something like this. So Potter was missing? How had he missed that? And of all places, why was Potter _here_?

"Draco!" A voice broke through his thoughts. Turning, he saw Matt walking towards him, a grin on his face, with Nathan not far behind. "You look deep in thought," his cousin said, flinging an arm over his shoulders. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing really," Draco said. "What are you two doing out of practice?"

"We finished early," Nathan explained with a small smile, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "You weren't the only one scheduled to have an interview, so there weren't enough people to have a full practice."

"Not that Professor Schwartz didn't try," Matt laughed. "But with that many people gone, he could only do so much before giving up."

"All right, so then where are you two off to?" Draco asked, ducking out from Matt's hold on his shoulders.

"That's under debate," Matt said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know that Nathan used to be a Seeker, right?" Draco nodded. "Well, some of my friends wanted to have a small Quidditch game today. Just for fun, you know? And we can always use good Seekers. Trust me, the ones we have suck."

"I suck too!" Nathan protested. "Really, I wasn't that good at all! And I have homework –"

"Ridiculous," Matt proclaimed. "You have some of the best reflexes I've seen, you have to be a good Seeker! And no true friend of mine would choose homework when he could be having fun." He turned to Draco. "What do you think?"

"I think it sounds fun. I used to be a Seeker too, you know, at Hogwarts." Draco gave Nathan, who was looking a little panicked, an evil grin. "How about we play against each other, Nathan?"

"That's what I like to hear!" Matt said with a broad grin, ignoring Nathan's protests. He grabbed the other boy's wrist and began to tow him off towards the Dragon Hall, telling him all about how much fun it would be. Draco suppressed a small laugh and followed. This should be fun.

Fifteen minutes later, against all of his protests, Harry found himself standing on the Quidditch pitch, broom in hand. He sighed. Matt and Draco were definitely dangerous when they ganged up on him. And to top things off, they were both on the other team. His teammates had seemed happy enough to meet him and had told him that it didn't matter how bad he was; they were only doing this for fun.

"Everyone ready?" Matt's roommate, Tyler, had agreed to be the referee. "Seekers, shake hands!" Harry walked up and grasped Draco's hand. His roommate grinned at him.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Harry muttered.

"All right then! Ready and– play!" Tyler opened the box, and the balls flew out. Harry mounted his broom, kicked off – and immediately forgot all about being irritated. It just felt so right to be in the air again. And playing Quidditch against Draco almost made this feel normal. With a laugh, he rose high above the game, swooping on his broom, enjoying the feel of the wind through his hair. Then he zoomed back downwards, dodging through the players at full speed, trying not to laugh at the amazed expressions on their faces. Slowing, he rose again, his eyes glancing about for the Snitch by reflex. Below him, he could see Draco doing the same.

"Oi, Nathan!" Matt, who was playing Keeper for Draco's team, was staring at Harry in surprise. "What happened to being 'not that great at flying'?" Harry just grinned at him and swooped back into the players.

Twenty minutes later, the game was still on. Harry's team was barely in the lead, and Harry himself was having a great time. Dodging a Bludger, he flew towards his team's goal. He turned to look at the field, and was just in time to see Draco suddenly dive. Looking downwards, he saw the Snitch hovering below. He immediately turned his broom down and plunged. While his face was serious, inwardly he was grinning. He'd been in this situation before, and had no doubt of his ability to out fly Draco.

Hurtling straight downwards, Harry wove through everyone in the air. Draco was also moving towards the Snitch, but not as fast. The Slytherin reached out his hand to grab at it, but Harry was faster. Using his thumb and pointer finger, he grabbed it in the air right in front of Draco's nose. His roommate stared at him in shock, eyes wide. Harry couldn't help it. He smiled a wide, triumphant, grin.

"Gotcha this time, Malfoy."

"All right Nathan!" Harry's teammates swarmed down to pound his back, laughing. Matt flew over too, grinning his contagious smile.

"I never want to hear you say you're bad at Quidditch ever again," he said in a mock stern voice. "Not after that little stunt you just pulled." Harry laughed as they landed and looked down at the Snitch in his hand. He did love fencing, but he had forgotten this feeling, this rush of joy that flying gave him.

"Hey." Harry looked up at Draco, who stood in front of him with a small smirk on his face and hand outstretched. "You lied about not being good. I demand a rematch sometime." Harry reached out and took the offered hand, a smirk of his own on his lips.

"Anytime you want to get your butt kicked again, I'm there."

Later that night, Draco was sitting in his room. Nathan was sitting on his bed writing something, he presumed homework. Both of them had joked around with Matt a bit more before heading back to their room, and now Draco was once again letting his mind wander back to the conversation with Weasley and Granger. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd offered to help them… Well, it would make them exit his new life more quickly, but still. There had to be some other reason…

"Say Nathan," he said, leaning back in his chair, "what do you think of Harry Potter?" There was a loud thud and a swear word from the other side of the room. Looking over, startled, Draco saw that his roommate had slipped and hit his head on the wall.

"Ah… why do you ask?" Nathan wanted to know, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. Draco frowned and looked back towards the wall.

"Just… some things that came up today, I was wondering."

"Ah. Ummm… well, since I've never had any personal contact with the guy…" Nathan said with a little laugh. "You used to go to school with him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Draco sighed. "I don't know, I never really talked with him much. Well I did, but not really… We didn't get along that well." He could have sworn that Nathan gave a small snort, but his roommate sounded normal when he responded.

"You had to have formed your own opinion of him at some point if you knew him at all," he pointed out. "Why ask me?"

"Because…" Draco sighed. "I guess that since I only ever saw him as a rival, I wonder what others really thought of him. The precious 'Boy Who Lived' and 'Chosen One', or whatever you want to call him."

"Titles rarely describe a person," Nathan said. "He was probably a lot more then the person who ended up in the media. I mean, the entire world, even those close to him, had expectations that came with those titles. Everyone expects the so-called 'Chosen One' to act a certain way. So I doubt you could gather anything from that." Draco frowned, considering this.

"I never thought of it that way," he said. "I guess it's true… Certainly the media coverage of my family certainly doesn't portray all of who we are. "

"And I'm sure it's the same for him," Nathan said firmly, standing up off his bed. "Now, while I hate to run in the middle of the conversation, I think I need to grab a book from the library before it closes." He grabbed his bag and left, leaving Draco alone in the room. The blonde boy sighed.

"I guess there's no point in thinking about it too hard," he muttered to himself. "What's done is done, and I did tell Granger and Weasley that I'd give them a hand. The sooner I follow through with it, the less I have to deal with them." With that, he reached over to pull his own books out. Much as he hated it, homework couldn't wait forever.

Outside the door, Harry closed his eyes and mentally listed all the swear words he knew. So now Draco knew that he was here somewhere? As if life with Ron and Hermione around wasn't tricky enough. Hoisting his bag further up on his shoulder, he walked outside and began slowly making his way across the grounds, lost in thought. Before he knew it, he was standing on a hill overlooking the Quidditch grounds where he had been playing earlier that day.

"I saw you out there earlier today. You're pretty good," A voice said to his left. Harry looked over, startled, to see Ron sitting on the grass next to him.

"I – thanks," he said, sitting down next to his best friend. "I don't play anymore, I was just out there because some friends made me."

"It's a pity, you could be a pro if you tried." Ron smiled sadly. "My best mate's about that good too, but he hasn't had time for it for a while, and now…" Harry had to tear himself away from staring at Ron's face. He hadn't seen a look that sad on his friend since the War.

"Where's your friend at now, if he's not playing Quidditch?" He asked, trying to sound casual. Ron gave a small laugh.

"Nowhere to be found. He ran into some… personal trouble, I guess, and decided to run away for a while to get some privacy."

"It sounds like that's hard on you," Harry said, still not looking over at the other boy.

"Yeah, it is." Ron sighed. "I understand why he did it, but it's still hard. I mean, we used to spend so much time together. And even when he was having troubles, we always managed to have a laugh together, you know? I guess I like to think that I helped to keep him sane sometimes." Harry glanced over at his friend, then bit his lip. Ron had always been there for him, even when Hermione was at her worst. And just as much as it wasn't fair to abandon Mrs. Wealey, Harry had failed to really think about what this had done to Ron. And here they were, and Harry couldn't even tell him that he was okay. The two sat in silence for a while, and then Harry finally spoke up.

"You know, I'm sure that your friend appreciated it," he said quietly. "What you did, I mean. It's always nice to have a friend there during hard times, and I'm sure he misses you as much as you do him." Ron looked over at him, surprise written all over his face.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do," Harry said, forcing a smile. "And I'm also guessing that wherever he is, he never wanted to make his best mate feel like this. So you should cheer up already! I'm sure you'll see him again someday."

"Yeah… you're right." Ron smiled. "Thanks, Nathan. You're really a good guy, you know that?"

"I've been told," Harry said with a small half smile, standing and extending a hand to his friend to help him up. "I'd better head back to my room, you going that way too?"

"Yeah, our rooms are that way," Ron said, standing. "Hey, listen… even if you don't decide to go along with whatever Hermione's got in mind for you, it would be nice if you could come just hang out sometime. You know, just to…" He trailed off, looking uncertain.

"Yeah, I know." Harry smiled. "I think I'd like that too."

**Author's Note**

_Hi there everyone! I could go on and on about how I haven't updated in months and am now putting up two new chapters in two new days, but I won't. I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and faves you've been giving me and this story! I really do feel honored and I hope that you continue to read and enjoy this story ^^_


	12. Chapter 12

**Please note that the old Chapter 9, the Author's Alert, has been deleted. This is why there were two alerts about a Chapter 11. I don't want you to miss out on the real chapter 11 before reading this one!**

Chapter 12

Ron entered the common area between his room and Hermione's to find her sitting on one of the chairs, staring intently at an open section of a book that lay next to a piece of parchment. He walked over and looked down at them.

"What are you doing?" He asked. "Aren't those Nathan's test results, the ones you couldn't figure out either?"

"That's what I'm trying to do," Hermione sighed, sitting back. "I went into the library here to try and find some information as to what might have gone wrong. Unfortunately Durmstrangs has nothing on the library at Hogwarts, but I did manage to find this book." She held it up. "It's all about different permanent disguises that can't be removed by magical means. I thought that it might help."

"You think Nathan has some kind of permanent disguise on him?" Ron repeated, sitting across the table from his friend.

"Not necessarily. See, these kind of results would be typical of an Animagus or a Metamorphmagus as well. However, I do think that someone would have informed us if this was the case with Nathan. There's an unlikely possibility that he's hiding it from the school and the Ministry that he's an Animagus, but far more likely is that he has some kind of spell on him that changes his appearance."

"So why would he do that?" Ron said, looking up at Hermione. "You're not seriously thinking he could be Harry?"

"Do you disagree? Ron, it all fits this way!"

"I think I do disagree with you on this one," Ron sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I mean, you've talked to the guy, Hermione. He's nice, but he doesn't act like Harry. And even if he's acting, there's something else to consider."

"Like what?" Hermione demanded.

"Near as I can tell, he's Malfoy's new best friend other then a cousin who apparently also goes to school here." Ron raised his eyebrows at Hermione. "No matter what, do you really think Harry could move past differences with Malfoy that easily?"

"Well… maybe not…" Hermione looked doubtful. "I still want to know why the tests didn't work, though."

"Think of it this way. Maybe Nathan has some kind of birthmark or something else physical that he doesn't want anyone else to see. So, he changes his appearance permanently so that no one will ever know about it."

"It could be," Hermione admitted, closing the book and placing it back on the table. "When did you talk to Nathan anyways? You hadn't even met him before the interview today."

"Ah – I was taking a walk and ran into him," Ron said hastily. "We just talked for a while." He looked down at the table, not wanting to admit that he had gone to think about things for a while. He didn't want Hermione to think he didn't enjoy spending time with her, but he really did miss Harry, and he had needed some time alone.

"It's fine, Ron," Hermione said quietly. "I miss him too, you know." Ron looked up, his ears turning red.

"I never said – "

"You didn't have to. It was written all over your face." Hermione gave him a small smile. "And did you talk things over with Nathan a bit?"

"I – yeah," Ron admitted. "I mean, obviously not specifically. But he did help me feel a bit better." He bit his lip. "He mentioned that Harry probably misses us too and never wanted to make us feel bad. And I guess that's true."

"Of course it is," Hermione said. "Do you really think he would have written us letters if he didn't miss us at least a little bit?"

"Probably not." Ron looked Hermione in the eyes. "But that's why I've been thinking. After the interviews are over… why don't we slow down a bit? I mean, is there really a reason to push him if he's already feeling at least a little bad about this?" Hermione stared at him, her mouth in a little "o".

"I… well… I never thought of it that way." She broke eye contact to look at the floor. "I don't want to push him too far," she admitted in a small voice. "I already did that once, and I do care about him. You two really are my best friends."

"I know," Ron said, standing. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew it too."

Saturday morning, Matt appeared outside Harry and Draco's door at six in the morning. He pounded on the door until Harry, hair messed up and still groggy, opened the door to tell him to go away. Matt just grinned at him, silver eyes twinkling.

"No can do. I have plans for you two today, so get up and get dressed already!"

"Have I told you lately that I hate you?" Draco's muffled voice asked from the bed.

"Won't help," Matt said. "You might as well get up, I'm not leaving until you do." Harry sighed and shut the door. "Hey! I meant what I said about not going away!"

"I gathered," Harry informed him through the door. "Why on earth must your cousin always be so cheerful?" He asked Draco as he began pulling off his pajamas.

"I have no idea," the blonde boy muttered, sitting up in bed.

"Surely you don't think that's a bad thing?" Matt asked through the door. "I have natural charm that lights up the world around me and cheers up everyone I come into contact with."

"Right," Harry retorted. "Which is why I feel like killing you right now?"

"Exactly. Are you going to leave me in the hall forever? I have breakfast!" Harry rolled his eyes as he finished pulling on his clothes and walked back over to the door. He opened it again and Matt walked in and perched on the end of Draco's bed as his cousin got dressed. He looked eager as a little kid, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at him a little.

"So what on earth has you so excited at this time in the morning?" he asked, curious despite being sleepy.

"An adventure!" Matt announced. "As transfer students, you haven't been out on the grounds much yet. So, I have appointed myself your tour guide from this moment on. And if we don't hurry this morning won't be nearly as much fun. So grab your brooms and let's get going! Oh, and you're also going to need your cloaks."

"You mentioned food," Draco yawned. "Which is probably the only reason Nathan let you in here, so fork it over." Matt laughed and tossed Harry a bag, which when opened turned out to have fresh baked rolls in it, still warm from the oven. "I have a way with house elves," Matt informed him with a grin.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me at all," Harry said, pulling one of the rolls out and biting into it. It was buttery and soft, warming him from the inside out.

"Come on, hurry!" Matt poked his cousin in the shoulder. "You're too slow!"

"You're too loud," Draco muttered, standing up and grabbing his broom. "You could have warned us about this." He pulled two rolls from the bag as he passed Harry, eating as the three walked out the door. Matt grabbed his own broomstick from where he had leaned it on the wall outside.

"That, my dear cousin, isn't nearly as much fun." Matt also grabbed a roll, then looked back at Harry. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess." Harry mounted his broom and took the last roll from the bag. The three took off and Matt took the lead.

"We're headed north!" He called back. "I want to show you two some of the mountains around here." They turned their brooms and flew in silence for a while, Harry allowing the chill wind on his face to wake him up. After a while, the scenery below them changed, and the mountains that stood by the campus grew nearer. Matt directed them higher into thin, cold air that made Harry sneeze and his ears pop. Finally, they angled down towards one of the peaks and landed. Harry now understood why Durmstangs had such warm cloaks in their uniforms. It was freezing up here.

"So what on earth do you expect us to find up here?" Draco asked. Matt simply smiled and pointed to the horizon. Looking, Harry stared. The sun was just coming up, glancing off the snow covered peaks in sparkling rays. The oranges and reds of the sunrise blended so that it looked like the sky itself was on fire. The contrast between the firey sky and the icy peaks was breathtaking. After a moment, Matt spoke up softly.

"Worth waking up early for?" Harry looked over at Draco and smiled. The other boy had a look of pure wonder on his face that Harry had never seen anything like before. It was as if the early morning and the beauty of nature had stripped yet another layer off the Slytherin to let Harry see even more of who he really was. Somehow, that made Harry almost as happy as the sunrise itself.

"Definitely," he told Matt, turning back towards the rising sun and the new day it presented.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"All right," Matt announced. "Sunrise is over. On to the next thing of the day!" Draco looked over at his cousin, startled.

"What did you do, come up with a schedule for the entire day?" The other boy smiled and winked at him.

"That's for me to know and you to discover." Nathan rolled his eyes.

"You're getting far too much enjoyment out of this. Seriously, you're acting like a little kid or something." He sighed. "So where are we going next?"

"That way." Matt pointed towards a large forest. "It's going to be a perfect day for exploring nature, so we might as well take advantage of it." The three boys got back on their brooms and headed down towards the trees. Matt lead then towards a small opening in the tree tops, then hovered, grinning back at the other two.

"We're headed that way, towards a lake in the forest," he told them. "Fancy a race through the trees?" Draco glanced over at Nathan, who had the same cocky grin on his face that he'd had after the Quidditch game.

"Only if you're prepared to lose," he said, sticking his tongue out at Matt.

"Hey, don't count me out so easily," Draco protested, his pride a little stung but finding himself smiling a little at the same time. "I'm not that bad of a flier myself." Nathan looked over, raising an eyebrow.  
"Do I hear a note of challenge in your voice?" He asked, a teasing note in his voice. Draco snorted.

"You're going down." The boys plummeted into the trees, weaving in and out between the trunks, ignoring Matt's protest that they hadn't warned him. Draco focused on his broom, the air whistling past his face. This was exhilarating in its own way. He hadn't had an opponent in the air as good as this since his last Quidditch match with Potter. Much as he hated to admit it, the Griffindor had been infernally good at flying, and it appeared that Nathan was no different.

Through the trees up ahead, Draco saw the glint of water. The lake was steadily coming into view, placed in the middle of a clearing in the forest. He put an extra burst of speed behind his broom, but Nathan was already ahead of him and soared out above the water ahead of him. Draco landed beside the lake and flopped on his back in the sun with a groan.

"I give up. It's unfair that you're so good at flying, you know that?" Nathan landed lightly beside him and laughed a little, looking out over the lake.

"It's nothing much. I haven't flown this much in a while, I forgot how exhilarating it could be." A small breeze blew through the clearing, blowing Nathan's hair with it. Draco found himself staring up at the other boy. There was something striking about him, standing against a blue sky like that...

"I hate both of you," Matt announced, arriving at last. Draco quickly looked away from Nathan, blushing. What on earth had he just been thinking? He'd been with other boys before when he was bored with Pansy or the other Slytherin girls, but Nathan wasn't his usual type.

"Draco?" Nathan leaned over him, looking concerned. "Are you all right?"

"Ah – yeah, I'm fine," the blonde said hastily, sitting up. He squeezed his eyes briefly shut, trying to clear his thoughts, then looked over at the other two. Nathan still looked slightly puzzled, and Matt amused for some reason.

"So what are we doing here other then looking at scenery?" He said hastily, trying to change the subject.

"Suspicious, suspicious," Matt said with a smile. "Who says we can't just look at the beauty around us?"

"It is really nice out here," Nathan said. "Do you two mind if I wander around the lake a bit?"

"Not at all," Matt said. He walked over to Draco, who was about to stand up, and placed a hand on his shoulder. The motion appeared to be casual, but in reality kept the Slytherin firmly on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Draco hissed. Matt ignored him.

"All right then, I won't be long, since I'm sure Matt here has some other plans for the day," Nathan said. He walked off slowly. Once he was out of earshot, Draco shook off his cousin's hand, a little annoyed.

"Is there a reason you want to keep me here?" He demanded.

"Why yes there is, as a matter of fact. Very perceptive of you, cousin."

"Don't give me that," Draco said, narrowing his eyes. "What do you want?" Matt sat down on the grass, stretching his arms forward lazily.

"I've been observing you and Nathan, is all, and I've noticed something very interesting in your behaviors." Draco jumped a little, feeling a blush begin to spread across his face.

"What on earth are you talking about?" He demanded. "Nathan's a friend, you know that."

"Draco, you have never been good at lying," Matt informed him. "Promise me you'll never become an actor, all right?" His silver blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he looked over at his cousin. "Trust me, just because he's completely oblivious doesn't mean I am. You've both been acting a little oddly around each other lately, and since I swing that way myself, of course I noticed."

"I – wait, you're _gay_?" Draco blurted out. Matt laughed out loud.

"That's a blunt way of putting it, but yes." He smiled. "And I've noticed the way you've been acting around Nathan lately. You really don't have to hide it, you know."

"Well, I just…" Draco looked away, embarrassed at the whole conversation. "I've never exactly felt about someone this way, and I haven't really known him that long. It just seems… I don't know, silly."

"Well, trust me when I say it's not," Matt said seriously. He looked the other boy in the eyes. "Listen, Draco. Even if you feel that you hardly know him, you're obviously feeling something for him. I can see it, and I can see from your reactions that I'm not making it up. If he makes you feel that way, you shouldn't ignore it."

"You… don't think it's weird then?" Draco could feel his face growing even hotter and knew that he must be bright red.

"Of course not," Matt said, grinning. "What will be weird is if you don't say anything to him."

"Hey, guys, over here!" Draco looked over and saw Nathan waving at them from partway around the lake. His heart gave a small lurch.

"What did you find?" Matt yelled across.

"There's some kind of cave!" Nathan responded.

"All right, I guess we should go take a look then," Matt said, standing and offering Draco a hand. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I think you'll be happier if you just let it out and accept it for what it really is. Okay?" Draco sighed, then took his hand and stood with a small smile on his face.

"I should say thanks, but at the same time I'm annoyed that you figured it out before I did. You can be really obnoxious sometimes, you know that?"

"Hey, what are relatives for?" Matt asked, slinging an arm over his shoulders as they began to walk over towards Nathan.

"This is interesting," Matt said, looking into the mouth of the cave Harry had found. "I didn't know there was a cave here." Harry laughed.

"And I'm sure you know everything on the entire grounds?"

"Hey, none of that," Matt said defensively. "I do know quite a bit of the grounds and I refuse to be mocked for it."

"I'm not mocking you," Harry assured him, thinking of the exploring he had done at Hogwarts with the aid of the Marauder's Map. He peered into the cave again, curiosity bursting inside him. "Do you think it would be all right if we went in and explored?"

"I don't know… I mean, it might not be the safest thing to do," Matt said doubtfully. "I'm all for adventure normally, but…" Harry walked a few steps into the cave, standing under the entrance.

"It looks safe enough to me," he said, starting to turn, then froze as he heard a rumbling sound. Looking up, he saw rocks in the ceiling beginning to shift, threatening to cave in on him.

"Nathan! Look out!" Draco yelled, running forward and shoving his roommate hard in the chest. There was a hard blow on the back of Harry's head as they flew into the cave. They both landed hard on the floor as the debris landed behind them, blocking out the light. Harry lay there a moment, trying to clear the shock from his mind. Matt's voice came through the wall that had been created, blocking off the entrance, sounding panicked.

"Are you two all right in there?!? Hey, say something!" Harry sat up gingerly, feeling the back of his head. It felt like he was bleeding, he couldn't tell how badly in this light.

"Lumos," he muttered, pulling out his wand and looking at his hand. He quickly shut his eyes, a wave of nausea overtaking him as he saw how much blood was there. This was not good.

"Nathan? Draco? Come on, guys!" Matt's voice sounded even more freaked out now. Harry cast the light on Draco, who looked like he was unconscious, possibly from the impact on the floor when they landed.

"Matt?" He called, crawling over to the entrance.

"Nathan! Thank goodness," Matt said. "What's the situation?"

"I really don't know…" Harry sighed. "I'm hurt a bit, and Draco's out cold, but I think we're okay for now. Do you think you can get us out if I help?"

"Probably not," the other boy admitted. "I'm going to go get help, all right? Is it okay if I leave?"

"It's probably the best thing to do right now. I'll try and make sure Draco's all right. Hurry, okay?"

"Got it." Harry heard footsteps as Matt ran off. He slumped back against the wall, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the throbbing pain that he was starting to feel in his head.

"You'd think I'd have learned better then to explore random caves by now," he muttered under his breath. Hearing a noise, he cast the light back on Draco. The other boy stirred, then opened his eyes and looked over at Harry.

"What happened?" He asked. "Are you –"

"I'm okay," Harry said as Draco carefully walked over and sat next to him. "Thanks to you, anyways. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way…" He shuddered. "Anyways, thanks." He smiled a little to himself. If they had gotten trapped like this back at Hogwarts, it wouldn't have been anywhere near this comfortable. Actually, he amended to himself, Draco probably wouldn't have bothered to save him at all. It was odd the differences a new face made. He looked over to find Draco looking at him oddly.

"What?"

"You're sure you're okay? You look really pale," Draco said.

"I'm fine," Harry told him firmly. "I mean, I did get scraped up a bit, but it's nothing." He looked away. For some reason he didn't want Draco to worry about him, especially after his friend had saved him like that. Then he blinked, startled at his own thought. At this point… Draco really was his friend, wasn't he?

"That's good," Draco said with a sigh, leaning back against the wall. The two sat back against the wall in silence for a while before the Slytherin spoke up again. "Hey Nathan… did you hate me when we first met?" Harry blinked.

"Where on earth did that come from?"

"I don't know, I just… I feel like when we first met you didn't really get along with me that well. Almost like you had a grudge against me or something, except we'd never met before." Harry smiled to himself a little. So much for his acting skills.

"Well, I guess… I didn't know exactly how to act around you," He said, trying to make his answer as truthful as possible. "You're very different then what I first thought of you, though. I mean, I really do… you really are one of my closest friends now, Draco." And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that was true.

"So you don't hate me?" The other boy's voice sounded almost… scared. Harry frowned. Had Draco really had that few people who had liked him for who he was? Although with the exterior he had put forth at Hogwarts, it really wasn't that surprising.

"Of course I don't!" He said, turning towards the other boy. All of a sudden, he realized their faces were very close. He felt his cheeks growing hot, and saw in the dim light that the other boy was blushing too. He looked away quickly. This was a very odd conversation to be having.

"Um… so you were just randomly thinking about this?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, not really," Draco admitted. "I was having a conversation with Matt earlier, and it brought the topic to mind." Harry carefully looked back towards the other boy out of the corner of his eye and saw him looking at the floor, apparently still thinking. "I guess he brought up some things that hadn't occurred to me before."

"Like what?" Harry said softly. Draco looked him in the eyes.

"Like how I feel about you." Harry felt his face turn red under the blonde's determined gaze.

"I – Wait, what?"

"When I first met you, Nathan, I was honestly a bit hurt that you didn't seem to like me. And now that I've gotten to know you more… I'm really glad that I have. I've never been friends with someone like you before, and I couldn't figure out it was so important to me that I kept that friendship." He looked away, blushing himself. "And then that idiot Matt had to come and point it out to me." Harry, seeing the direction this conversation was going, began to panic a bit. He hadn't been expecting this at all. He wasn't sure what to say, and there was no way to escape. In coming up with his disguise, he'd counted on not finding romance at an all boy's school. After all, one kiss could ruin everything, stripping the effects of the potion from him. And of all people, to end up in this situation with Draco Malfoy… but then he came to another startled realization. Somehow, this wasn't as weird as it should have been. Could he possibly…

"I know you probably weren't expecting this," Draco was saying in a small voice. "But… I don't know, I had to bring it up sometime, and no one's going to be able to walk in on us here…" He looked up into Harry's startled eyes again, this time with a look of pleading. And Harry, against everything he would have ever predicted for his life, realized the answer he had to the unspoken question.

"Leave it to Matt to push us into realizing all this," he muttered under his breath, looking down in embarrassment.

"Wait, does that mean…" Harry, still looking at the ground, nodded, his face hot. Then he felt cool fingers under his chin as Draco lifted his face so they could look at each other.

"I'm glad," he said simply before leaning in and placing his lips on Harry's.

Harry froze for a moment, and then found himself leanings into the kiss and returning it. He could feel the tingling throughout his body that meant he was reverting to his own body, but they were in the dark and he doubted Draco could see the change. Somehow, this felt… right. When he had kissed Cho and Ginny, he had felt a rush of hormones, but nothing else. This kiss felt like it ran much deeper. Draco put his hands up to draw Harry in closer, then pulled away with a gasp.

"What?" Harry asked, his voice slightly rough, trying to keep the light away from him, panic beginning in his chest. Had he noticed that "Nathan" was no longer the person he had been before?

"You're bleeding," Draco told him, voice accusing. "You did get hurt and weren't telling me?"

"I didn't want you to worry," Harry said. Now that Draco mentioned it, he was starting to feel a little dizzy, and not just because of the emotions warring inside of him. "Look, I just–" He was cut off by Matt's voice calling through the rubble blocking the entrance.

"Nathan? Draco? Help's on the way, we're going to get you guys out of there."

"We can talk later," Draco said, helping Harry to his feet. "Are you okay though? And don't lie this time."

"Not… really," Harry said, fighting off nausea again. "I think I've lost more blood then I was counting on." An idea popped into his head. "Look, maybe I'll just sit back here until the entrance is clear?" Draco nodded slightly in the dim light.

"That's probably not a bad idea." He walked over to the entrance and started talking to Matt and the other people who had come to help. Harry gingerly walked back into the cave until he thought he was out of earshot. Under the noises of people trying to destroy the rocks, he murmured under his breath.

"Kreacher?" The house elf appeared with a small pop, and Harry smiled with relief.

"Master called?"

"The extra potion, do you have it with you?" Harry asked. He had asked Kreacher to carry a vial of the potion he needed to be Nathan at all times, just in case Harry needed him. Thankfully, it had paid off to be a little paranoid in this case.

"I do, Master." Kreacher handed Harry a small flask, and Harry sighed.

"Thank goodness. Do you think you could brew more up and have it stored just in case?" The house elf nodded. "Excellent. Kreacher, you're the best. You can go now."

"A pleasure to help as always, Master." The house elf vanished again. Harry quickly drank the potion, and leaned back against the wall as he felt his body change. There was a loud blast, and light came flooding into the cave. Matt ran back to where Harry was, concern all over his face.

"Draco said you were hurt?" Harry nodded, dizziness beginning to overtake him. He had forgotten that the potion would put added stress on his body.

"Yeah, I hit… the back of my head a bit…" Matt helped him stand upright, looked at the back of his head, and swore. Harry could hear him yelling something, but he couldn't tell what. The blood loss must have finally caught up to him, he thought, before passing out into blackness.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Draco sat in a chair outside the Infirmary and worried. He had looked back after the cave entrance had been cleared just in time to see Nathan pass out and be caught by Matt. In the light, he had looked awful; his skin had been pale, and there was blood on his hand and the back of his head and neck. Draco had never seen that much blood before; even during the War, Voldemort had preferred curses over violence and gore. He had almost puked, but had been worried enough that he held it back to help get his roommate safely back to the main building, where he had been placed into the care of the Healers that worked for the school. Now there was nothing he could do but wait.

"Hey," a soft voice said. Draco looked up, startled, and saw Matt seat himself in a chair next to him. He hadn't even heard the other boy come into the room.

"Hey," he replied. Matt glanced towards the Infirmary door, his own gaze betraying his concern.

"Nothing yet?"

"No," Draco said, looking at the floor again. "They said that he'd be fine when we brought him in, but there was so much blood…" He squeezed his eyes shut and placed his head in his hands. "I can't believe I didn't even notice that he was hurt, I could have done at least a little basic healing…"

"Hey, it's not your fault," Matt said heavily. "Nathan's a stubborn guy, he probably hates depending on others."

"He said he didn't want to make me worry," Draco said in a muffled voice, not lifting his head. "As if this doesn't make me worry even more."

"Some people are just like that," Matt said, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Seriously, don't blame yourself for this. It's no one's fault."

"I still could have done something," Draco said. He was about to say more when the door to the Infirmary swung open and one of the female Healers walked out. Draco looked up at her, and she smiled.

"He should be fine," she said. "We healed the wound and we've also given him some blood replenishing potion. If you'd like, you can come in and wait until he wakes up. It should only be an hour or so at most." Draco sighed and sank back into his chair in relief. Matt smiled at the Healer.

"Thank you so much," he said. She nodded and then walked back into the room, leaving the door open this time. Matt stood and looked at Draco.

"Well, I'd like to stay, but I have things to do. The professors still want a full report on what exactly happened."

"I can come too," Draco said, standing up quickly, but Matt shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"I think Nathan should have at least one friendly face in there with him when he wakes up," he commented. "Why don't you stay with him? I'm sure it'll be fine with the professors."

"I… well…" Draco glanced back at the Infirmary door. There was no denying that he would like to see Nathan, but at the same time…

"Go on," Matt said in a softer tone of voice. "After all, from the look of things, you two will have things to talk about when he wakes up, no?" Draco blushed involuntarily, and his cousin just laughed. "I'll see you later, Draco. Tell Nathan that I hope he gets better fast!" With that, he walked off down the hall, leaving Draco standing by himself in the hall. The blonde took a deep breath, then entered the Infirmary quietly and ducked behind the curtain that surrounded Nathan's bed. The brown haired boy did have a much better color now. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing softly and peacefully. There was no longer any sign of the blood that had been there earlier. With another sigh of relief, Draco sank into the chair beside his roommate's bed.

"Who would have ever thought I'd end up in a situation like this," he muttered to himself, smiling slightly down at the other boy. "It's unfair that you make me feel this way, you know that? I was trained not to ever show emotions, but somehow…" He tentatively reached down and traced the lines on the open palm of Nathan's hand with his finger.

There was something that he couldn't place about this person that he had only met upon coming here to Durmstrang… He seemed so open and happy on the surface, and yet there was always something right below the surface too that the Slytherin just couldn't figure out. He was intriguing… no, more than that, he was fascinating. Draco prided himself on being able to read people, but it didn't seem to work that way with Nathan.

"Maybe that's why I like you," he whispered to the sleeping boy. "You're just so different from anyone else I've ever met… it makes me want to get to know you more." He leaned back in his chair, thinking. Now that he really took a moment to focus on what it was about Nathan that he was drawn to, he could remember one other person who had intrigued him in a similar way. In that case, though, there had been no chance to get closer to the other boy, and so interest had morphed into hatred of a sort. He had offered him a hand of friendship at first out of vanity and wanting to get closer to the fame that the other boy, and been stung when he had been brushed off. And the more he grew interested in him, the farther away the idiot had seemed to withdraw. How could Draco help but hate him? Draco closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. If there was one person he didn't want in his thoughts, especially at a moment like this, it was the precocious Boy Who Lived. He looked down at Nathan's sleeping face again and smiled gently. Then he leaned down and brushed his lips against the other boy's forehead.

"I'm glad you're all right," he whispered, then settled back to wait.

Harry woke up slowly, trying to focus. At first the world around him was all white, and then it slowly cleared into curtains hanging around the bed he was lying on. He had been in the Hogwarts Infirmary enough times to guess exactly where he was. He closed his eyes again briefly, taking stock of his body. His head was still throbbing a little, but on the whole he felt a lot better. He opened his eyes again and glanced off to his left… and was surprised to see Draco dozing in the chair next to his bed. After his initial surprise, he smiled. It made sense if he thought about it, due to the new… development between them.

He sighed a little as he looked away from the blonde boy. He had never anticipated anything like this happening. Was it even going to be possible to maintain a relationship with Draco and still keep his identity a secret? Did he even want to risk that? He shook his head very slightly. As if he could stop the attraction that had grown between them. No, somehow his heart had become attached to his former enemy, and there was no way to change that. He would just have to work out how this was going to work. He glanced over again as the blonde stirred, then opened his eyes.

"Nathan…?" he said, his voice a little groggy. Then he blinked and sat up straight. "Nathan! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"I feel okay," Harry said, smiling at the concern in Draco's voice. It was something that he never would have heard as Harry. "Sorry for making you worry."

"You should be," Draco grumbled. "Seriously, I've never seen that much blood before. I didn't know if you were going to be all right or not, and after, well…" he trailed off, looking embarrassed. Harry blushed too, but reached out and gently brushed his fingers against Draco's.

"I know. I am sorry," he said. "About… um… what happened back there though…" he cleared his throat, feeling a little awkward. Draco gave a little laugh.

"I think I know how you're feeling right about now," he said, shaking his head and looking up at Harry again. "Neither of us know exactly what to do about this, do we?" Harry laughed a little too, carefully pushing himself up into a sitting position. Draco reached out to steady him as he settled himself, then pulled back again. They sat in silence for a moment, and then the blonde spoke up again.

"I think if Matt hadn't mentioned it to me, I might not have said anything today," he said. "But… now that I have, and it's out there, what do you want to do about it? If you don't feel the same way, I could just –"

"I do!" Harry said quickly, cutting him off. "I mean… I never would have suspected it either, but this… this makes me happy, it really does." Draco looked up at him and smiled tentatively.

"Really?" Harry stuck his tongue out at him.

"Yes really, idiot. Would I say it if I didn't mean it?"

"Well, maybe not." Harry bit his lip, then began to talk again, trying to choose his words carefully so as not to raise suspicion.

"Ummm… listen, Draco. While this… us… does make me really happy, I feel like we've really only known each other for a short while, since the beginning of the school year. Do you think we could spend a little more time… focusing on getting to know each other, more then just going out?" Draco looked startled, and Harry hastily added, "I don't mean that I didn't like kissing you, I really did. I just think that it would be nice if we could spend more time together just… getting to know each other, and build a relationship that way first." He crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping. Maybe if he could grow closer to Draco first, by the time he really did have to reveal himself to the Slytherin – which he had no doubts would happen eventually – things would go a little smoother. The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"That's not such a bad idea, actually. I think I sort of see what you're getting at." He reached for Harry's hand and gave it a small squeeze, a mischievous look on his face. "Making me wait so that it'll be that much better when I finally do have you where I want you?" Harry felt his face turning bright red.

"I – no! That's not what I – I mean – " He stammered. Draco burst out laughing.

"Relax, Nathan, I'm just kidding." He winked. "Mostly, anyways." Harry found himself smiling despite himself. He had never seen Draco so… carefree. It was nice to know that it made the blonde as happy as it made him. But it also made him worry… would this all shatter when he had to own up to the truth?

**Author's Note**

_Sorry, back to the short chapters again… I try to make them longer but I'm not very good at it ^^; Anyways, I wanted to thank everyone for reading! I am as always amazed and humbled by the number of people who seem to enjoy this story. I hope that I can continue to meet your expectations! I also wanted to clarify something. In this chapter, Draco kisses Harry on the forehead and he doesn't change. I decided that I want to define "kiss" as on the lips in this story, and wanted to clear up any confusion that might have arisen from this. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please leave a review if you have the time! Your support is what keeps authors going ^^_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next day, Nathan was deemed to be ready to leave the Infirmary. He had recovered all of the blood that he had lost in the accident, and his wound was completely closed. The Healers informed him that he still needed to be careful not to reinjure himself in the same place, but as long as there was no reopening of the wound, it should be fine. Hearing that he was better, Draco and Matt came together to pick him up and walk back to the room. The brown haired boy grinned when he saw them, his blue eyes lighting up.

"What, did you think I was going to get lost on the way back to the dorm?" He asked in a teasing voice. Draco gave him a mock glare.

"If that's the way you're going to be, we'll just leave you here," he informed him in a stern voice.

"It could be a sign of brain damage!" Matt pointed out. Then he grinned evilly. "Although with you, Nathan, I don't know how we'd tell."

"Shut it, you," Nathan said, taking a swing at Matt's head as he walked by. Matt ducked and fell into step beside him as they began walking down the corridor.

"But Nathan, I haven't been able to bother you for a whole twenty four hours," he protested. "I might get out of practice if this keeps up."

"And we all know how awful that would be," Nathan said, rolling his eyes. "Heaven forbid that the great Matt be unable to tease people."

"It would be terrible," Matt said with a perfectly straight face. Draco, walking a little ways behind them, smiled at their banter. Nathan certainly seemed to be recovered, and Matt as well. His cousin appeared to have left most of his feelings of guilt over the accident behind.

"Oi, Draco, back me up on this," Matt said, turning to look at his cousin. The Slytherin shook his head, trying to bring himself back to reality.

"What am I backing you up on?" he asked. Nathan laughed, his blue eyes sparkling.

"And you say I'm the one with brain damage?" he said to Matt. "I think Draco here's the one who's having issues."

"Hey!" Draco protested, blushing. Nathan smiled at him and gently swatted him on the back of the head.

"Just kidding," he said. He seemed about to say more, but stopped as they walked by the Quidditch field, frowning as he looked at something in the distance.

"What's up?" Draco asked, trying to spot what his roommate was looking at. All he saw was a small group of people watching a practice match.

"Ah, nothing," Nathan said with a smile. "I was just thinking I'd go check out what's going on over there. Catch up with you later!" With that, he ran off towards the field, leaving a confused Draco behind. Matt laughed.

"It amazes me how quick that guy is. That's the thanks we get for picking him up after he gets hurt, huh?" Draco frowned, then sighed.

"I guess that's just the way it is," he grumbled. "Do you want to head over there too, or…"

"Nah, if he has a sudden something he wants to do, it obviously didn't involve us in his head." Matt grinned. "Let's head over to your room and wait for him there."

Harry slowed down as he approached the Quidditch field. While he was grateful that Draco and Matt had come to get him from the Infirmary, there was someone else he wanted to see too. And he was sure that he had spotted the redhead somewhere in this crowd…

"Nathan?" Turning, Harry found himself face to face with Ron. The taller boy had a smile on his face. "I didn't expect to see you here. I heard some kind of rumor that you got hurt in a cave in out in the forest?"

"Not a rumor," Harry said wryly. "I seem to have a talent for getting into that kind of situation." Ron laughed.

"Trust me, you're not the only one. I know other people who seem to have this crazy ability to get into dangerous situations. Well, one person specifically."

"Well, now you know two," Harry said quickly, guessing who the person Ron was thinking of was. He wasn't in a mood to talk about himself. "But yeah, I just got out of the Infirmary."

"Then what are you doing over here?" Ron asked. "Interested in the game?"

"Well, not exactly… I dunno, I saw you in the crowd – you do have pretty distinctive hair – so I thought I'd just come over to say hello." Harry shrugged. It was all the truth, and he didn't really have any real other motive for coming over then to merely say hello. Ron looked a little startled, then smiled.

"Well, hi then. You're feeling better from your accident though?"

"Yup, feeling back up to 100 percent. I'm not supposed to exert myself for a week though, whatever that means. It's all relative if you ask my opinion." Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm fine though. They have a good Infirmary here."

"That's good. I can only imagine the kinds of things students get into here… I mean, they have way bigger grounds then Hogwarts, and my friends and I managed to get into plenty of trouble there anyways. Then again, things were never exactly normal when you were hanging out with Harry." Harry winced slightly. How did the conversation end up here yet again?

"Ah… Harry?" He said, trying to sound curious. "Is that Harry Potter? I know he went to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, he was my best mate," Ron said with a smile, looking up at the Quidditch players swooping overhead. "We got into enough scrapes over the years for ten people, the two of us and Hermione."

"Sounds like it was a good time," Harry said.

"It really was. I mean, it was hard sometimes, but we always made it through in the end. Really, that's the only thing that makes me think it's going to work out this time too." Looking at the look on Ron's face, Harry really felt he should change the subject. But for some reason, his mouth kept talking.

"What do you mean, 'this time'?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Well, nothing I'm supposed to talk about, anyway. Sorry." Harry smiled a little when he noticed that his friend's ears had turned red. Typical Ron, getting all flustered about letting something slip.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I'm sure that whatever it is will work out. Things between mates usually do." And Harry really did think things would work out. He was finding a happiness here as Nathan that he hadn't felt in a long time, and if he worked things right, he was sure that he could transition back into life as Harry while still keeping that happiness alive.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will." Ron smiled. "Well, I'm sure you have friends waiting for you. I saw Malfoy and that other boy waiting for you, you shouldn't leave them too long or they might get lonely or something." Harry laughed.

"Yeah, not that Draco would ever admit it. He still wants to seem all independent, same as ever. He's not very good at it, though. But you're right, I should get going. Talk to you later!" He walked off in the direction that the cousins had taken, not noticing the odd look Ron was giving him from behind.

**Author's Note**

_Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you soooo much for helping this story to surpass 25,000 hits! I'm amazed and honored. Also, I wanted to insert a small shameless plug in for my sister and I's new joint account, M & Em. We've just started our very first story and will be posting it online soon, so please check it out if you have a chance! Also just a quick warning that this story will be on hiatus for the entire month of November while I participate in Nanowrimo. I'll be back in December! Thanks so much for reading, please leave a review if you get a moment! ^^_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

After the Quidditch match he had been watching ended, Ron wandered back up to the hill where he had had his first big talk with Nathan. He stared over the Quidditch pitch and the rest of the grounds, thinking hard. Normally, he would have talked to Hermione about this, but something about the way his train of thought was going… he wanted to keep this to himself for now. He shook his head and sat down, waving his wand. Several rolls of parchment appeared out of thin air, and he grabbed them and unrolled one.

Nathan's test results. He had denied any suspicions to Hermione, but events lately were causing him to rethink that position. Maybe it wasn't involved with Harry, but there was definitely something off about that guy. It wasn't just a simple matter of wanting to hide a birthmark or some other disfiguration; there was another person under Nathan's persona, and he was starting to slip through a bit. Ron frowned at the paper. It wasn't just the things he said. The looks on his face when he said some things… like talking about Malfoy, for example. It had almost sounded like they had known each other for a while when he had mentioned it back at the match…

_"Yeah, not that Draco would ever admit it. He still wants to seem all independent, same as ever…"_ Wasn't that what Nathan had said? And did that really make sense for someone who had only met Malfoy on coming to Durmstrangs? It didn't exactly sound like something that Harry would say, but at the same time it didn't seem like something Nathan would say either.

Laying the test results aside, Ron picked up a second roll of parchment. It was the letter that he had received from Harry to be delivered to Mrs. Weasley. Ron gave a small smile as he reread it. Harry at least seemed to recognize that Mum saw him as one of her own sons, and was treating her concern with as much gentleness as possible while still being firm. That was definitely typical Harry. Ron made a mental note to send the letter as soon as he got a chance; he'd forgotten thus far in all of the things he'd had to do for his job.

Then he picked up the final piece of parchment. This was the one that really made him wonder about what exactly was going on… the latest letter that had arrived from Harry to him personally. He could tell that Harry had written it; it was written in his favorite kind of ink, and it was also in his regular handwriting. The phrasing of the sentences sounded like his friend too. But at the same time… it just didn't _sound_ exactly like Harry.

_Ron-_

_As you know, international incidents have always been my favorite. Congrats on making your own, I'm proud of you and Hermione! Just kidding, mate, but seriously – don't let it get you down. These things happen, and they always blow over in the end. Just give it some time and it'll all work out._

_About Malfoy_ (and here there was a little smudge as though he had started to write something else before he had written Malfoy, and then blotted it out)_: I know that you don't like him, but I swear that he has nothing to do with all of this. Let Hermione know, will you? I know that she can't always get ideas like that out of her head, and she might be more willing to accept it from me then you at this point. Although she might not from me either, since I am the fugitive in a manner of speaking._

_Things are going great with me lately, since you always seem to ask about it. No specifics obviously¸ but I've been hanging out with some new friends and we've been having fun. I never would have imagined the situation where it is today, but I'm oddly happy about it. I hope that you and Hermione are doing well, too. Don't stay cooped up working all the time, get out and talk to some people occasionally! Trust me, it's good for you._

_Harry_

Ron lowered the letter with a sigh. It had arrived a few days before Nathan's accident, and he had found it only slightly odd at the time. The happy tone… he supposed that could just be due to Harry finding a place where he _was_ just happy, finding a new life for himself. But some of the phrases… it just made him wonder. He shook his head and waved his wand, causing the parchments to vanish into thin air again.

"I'm probably just being silly," he muttered to himself.

"It happens," A voice commented from behind him. Ron started, then turned to see Malfoy's cousin behind him.

"Ah… it's Matt, right?" He asked. The other boy nodded and gestured to the ground next to the redhead.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked.

"Nah, go ahead," Ron said. Matt plopped himself down unceremoniously next to him and sighed a content sort of sigh, smiling up at the sky.

"So tell me, oh Ministry Inspector, why are you being silly?"

"Call me Ron," Ron said, feeling his ears grow warm at the odd title.

"All right then, Ron." Matt grinned at him, and Ron found himself instantly liking the other boy. He just seemed like such an open and honest person.

"I think I'm just over thinking things," he told Matt, finding the words coming out almost on their own. "I mean, the ideas that I'm coming up with just seem so…"

"Silly?" Matt supplied. Ron found himself laughing a little.

"Exactly," he said.

"Well," Matt said, flopping onto his back and crossing his arms behind his head, "Sometimes no matter how silly things seem, they can wind up being true in the end." Ron frowned.

"I know, but… it's hard to explain."

"Hey, if you need to talk, that's what I'm here for," Matt said, raising an eyebrow at him. "I know that we don't know each other that well, but in my experience, it helps people to talk about what's bothering them."

"Whether they want to or not?" Ron asked, amusement and sarcasm warring in his tone. Matt grinned at him again.

"I'm very good at getting people to talk to me when I want to," he said wickedly.

"I now see the side of you that fits in with the Malfoys," Ron muttered. "Devious certainly fits you."

"Seriously though," Matt said, sitting up and looking Ron in the eyes. "Nathan seems to regard you as a friend, and I trust his judgment in people. A friend to him is a friend to me. And I help friends when they need it." Ron stared at him, thoughts whirring through his brain. He didn't want to do this. If he was right, it would likely make Harry angry enough to do something else drastic. And if he was wrong, he might lose Nathan's friendship… but at the same time, he just had to know.

"There's something you can do for me," he said quickly, before he could change his mind. "I… it's going to seem a little odd, but it's… and Nathan… oh, Merlin's pants. I'm no good at this."

"It's something to do with Nathan?" Matt asked, his eyes sharp. Ron took a deep breath and started over.

"The truth is, Matt, we're not here for the reasons officially given. We're looking for someone."

"Someone…?" Matt asked, his face confused. "Nathan?"

"Maybe. The thing is, the person we're looking for… he's in disguise right now if he's here at all. And just some things Nathan said, and… I don't know, I don't want him to think I don't trust him, but…"

"You need to know," Matt finished. Ron's eyes widened.

"I… yeah," he said surprised. Matt's face was surprisingly understanding.

"I get it," he said. "So what exactly do you need from me?"

"I just need information," Ron said. "Just… if you see anything that seems out of character for Nathan, or find anything, let me know? So I can try and work this out?"

"Should I tell the girl if I see her?" Matt asked.

"NO!" Ron blurted out. "I mean… no." He took a deep breath, trying to calm down his suddenly racing heart. "Hermione doesn't need to know," he explained. "I just… I don't want her to know just yet. Maybe later, when I'm more sure."

"All right then," Matt said with a sigh, standing up. "I'm not sure I exactly understand, but if it's info on Nathan that you need, I can do that."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked nervously. "I mean, he is your friend, I don't want you to have to betray him or anything…"

"I'm sure," Matt said firmly. He smiled a little. "You're a good guy, Ron. I don't think you'd be doing this if you didn't have good reasons for it. So since I trust you, and I want what's best for Nathan and think you do too, I'll do it."

"Thanks," Ron said, standing up as well. He still felt uncomfortable about this, but now that it was done, he felt more determined than anything else. "This means more then you could know."

_**Author's Note**_

_Hey, lookie! I'm back! And ZOMG THE INTRUIGE! Anyways… I know I was only planning to take a month off, and I'm SUPER sorry, but I once more got off track and things got busy and… three months later here we are. So. Despite the long delay, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter of Swords Crossed! Reviews are always loved!_


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The school year had moved along more quickly than Harry ever could have imagined. It still seemed like only yesterday that he had arrived, and yet it was already the end of October. He was relaxing in his room with Draco when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey Draco," he said thoughtfully. "Do you know what we do here for Halloween?"

"Hmm?" Draco looked up from the book he had been reading, his hair flopping into his eyes. Harry, who was sitting within arm's reach, reached out and gently smoothed it up into place, a shiver going up his arm where his fingers brushed Draco's forehead. The other boy reached up and grabbed his hand with a grin.

"You're really tempting me, you know that?" He asked. Harry felt his face flushing bright red, but he didn't pull his hand away. He couldn't remember Draco ever acting this way towards anyone, even when they were at Hogwarts.

"Uh…" he said intelligently, then mentally cursed himself.

"You take me so seriously," Draco said with a mock sigh, leaning back in his chair. "What did you want to know again? Halloween?"

"Ah… yeah," Harry said. "I just know that… my parents told me stories of how they celebrated when they were in school, so I was wondering if we have anything like that here."

"I don't know," Draco said thoughtfully. "We could always ask Matt, I suppose…" he frowned. "I feel like there's something about October 31st though… something that I should be remembering…"

"About Halloween, or about the day in general?"

"The day in general." Draco's eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to think. Harry smiled a little, gazing at him. It had only been a few days since he had returned from the infirmary, but it felt like he and Draco had been like this for much longer. It was an entirely new thing for him, and it made him happier than he had been in a long time. Suddenly, Draco's eyes widened. He turned to Harry.

"When's Halloween again? What day?"

"Uh… this Friday, I think. So day after tomorrow. Why, what's up?" he asked.

"I remembered. Halloween's also Matt's birthday," Draco explained. "I hadn't seen him in so long that I didn't remember right away, but I'm sure of it." Harry's eyes widened.

"And he didn't remind anyone?"

"Nathan." Draco turned to look him in the eyes. "This is _Matt_ we're talking about. He probably thought it was some kind of game, like 'Guess the Birthday' or something." Harry frowned a little. He didn't think that was true. After all, having had his birthday ignored so many times, he knew that it wasn't fun. Matt wasn't the kind of person who would do that to himself on purpose. Then he shook his head a little. That wasn't important right now.

"So what do you think we should do about it?" he asked instead. "We should get him presents, sure…"

"We could always do a party or something," Draco said thoughtfully.

"It's a little late to suddenly mention a party to him," Harry said doubtfully. He thought for a moment. "What if we threw a surprise party instead?"

"A surprise party?" Draco blinked. "That… is actually not a bad idea. What would we do for it?"

"Well, we could hold it in Matt's room," Harry said. "I'm sure his roommate wouldn't mind. His name's Tyler, right?" Draco nodded. "So we ask Tyler if he'll let us in to set things up, and then one of us distracts Matt somehow, and everyone gathers up…"

"So what exactly are we going to do?" Draco interrupted. "I mean, it's an interesting idea, but how are we going to get things for the party? It's not like we have a Hogsmeade or anything to get food and stuff from."

"We have the next best thing," Harry told him with a grin. "Come on, we'll go talk to Tyler first. Then, I've got an idea."

"Nathan, where on earth are we going?" Draco asked his roommate. He was following the brown haired boy around in the lowest levels of the main building.

"I told you, I had an idea." The boy turned around, his blue eyes sparkling in a way that made Draco's breath catch. "Just trust me." He turned a corner into a dead end. Draco stared at the blank wall, wondering what on earth Nathan was thinking. The other boy reached out a hand and traced it along the wall, suddenly smiling.

"Got it," he said. "Draco, give me your hand for a minute."

"Nathan…" Draco looked into Nathan's eyes as his roommate turned and smiled at him. He blinked as for a moment he had a moment of déjà vu. He'd seen someone else with that overly confident smile before… someone… but who?

"Trust me," Nathan said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. Then, he grabbed his hand and pulled him straight toward the wall. When they were just about to hit it, he pressed down on the brick that his other hand had been resting on. The wall and floor shifted to create a slide. Draco yelped in surprise as his feet slid out from under him and they went zooming downward, still hand in hand. He could hear Nathan's clear laugh in front of him as the wall reclosed behind them, leaving them in darkness. Finally, they came shooting out of an opening in a wall, landing on a pile of cushions in a well lit room. He landed on top of Nathan.

"_Warn_ me before you do that kind of thing!" He said, pushing himself into a kneeling position. Nathan, still lying below him, looked up innocently with eyes full of laughter.

"Are you telling me it wasn't fun?" He asked. Draco felt his face grow warm and hastily turned away.

"I didn't say that," he grumbled. "You're just too reckless."

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry," Nathan laughed. "Are you going to get off of me?" Draco hastily stood up and extended a hand to help up the brunette.

"Where are we, anyways?" he asked.

"Matt told me about it," Nathan explained. "See, there's all the different dorm buildings, and they all have their own dining hall, as well as one in the main hall for the professors and stuff. So logically, the house elves who work here have to have some way to get around. There's this whole system of underground tunnels that they use, with kitchens and stuff. This is the only entrance that Matt knows of, though."

"Interesting…" Draco looked around him in curiosity. "I never would have thought of something like this."

"That's because most people don't think of house elves all the time," Nathan said with a small smile. "I've only ever met one person who does…" he started a little and shook his head. "Never mind, that's not important. Anyway, I thought we could come down here and ask if they'd be willing to help us out with some things for Matt's party."

"Who did you know who liked house elves?" Draco asked with a frown as they walked down the corridor that led from the room. "Granger's the only one I've ever heard of." Was it his imagination or did Nathan wince a bit?

"Er… there was a girl who lived in the same town as me," he said. "She really loved her house elf, so she always noticed house elves."

"Oh…" Draco shook his head a little. What was he thinking? Of course Nathan wouldn't have had anything to do with Granger before. All thoughts of the female Gryffindor went out of his head, however, when they entered a kitchen bustling with house elves. One immediately bustled up to them.

"My name is Tressie. Can I help masters?" She squeaked. Nathan smiled at her.

"It's nice to meet you, Tressie," he said. "I'm Nathan and this is Draco. We're friends of Matt's, he told us how to get down here." Tressie immediately brightened.

"Friends of Master Matt are always welcome," she said excitedly. "What can Tressie be doing for you?"

"Actually, we have a favor to ask of you, Tressie," Nathan said. "Matt's birthday is coming up this Friday." Tressie's eyes grew huge.

"Master Matt is being born on Halloween?" Nathan nodded.

"I know you might be busy that day, but I was hoping you might be able to help us out. See, we were hoping to throw a party for Matt without him knowing…"

"A surprise party!" Tressie squeaked.

"Exactly! And I was hoping that you might be able to get us some food and drinks for the party," Nathan told her. "If you're not too busy?"

"We house elves is always busy," Tressie told Nathan solemnly. "But we can do it. Just be telling us the time and place." As Nathan began filling the house elf in on the details, Draco found himself smiling a little just watching him. He seemed to have experience with dealing with house elves. Much as he hated to admit it, Draco doubted that he could have handled Tressie better. There was so much about Nathan, about this person who he had come to care for so much, that he simply didn't know. Nathan finished talking to Tressie and looked up at him. His cheeks pinked a little.

"What?" he asked. Draco smiled a little at him.

"Nothing," he said. "Just enjoying being here." Nathan stuck his tongue out at him.

"More like staring," he said, standing. "Thanks, Tressie, you've been a big help!" He called back as he began to lead Draco away.

"Where are we going? The way we came in is over there."

"I know it is, but I want to see something," Nathan told him. "I asked Tressie if I could explore a bit and she said sure."

"So what exactly are we exploring in search of?"

"I was thinking that if there's this whole underground tunnel system, we might be able to find a way up to our dorm," Nathan explained. "It would be a lot easier then coming up in the main building and having to walk back."

"Oh. That makes sense." Draco walked along with Nathan in silence for a while before it became too much for him. He had to be thinking too hard, there was no other way to think of it, but he had to say something.

"Nathan… you didn't know Weasley and Granger before this, did you? The people from the British Ministry?" Nathan stumbled a little and looked back over his shoulder, looking confused.

"Where did _that_ come from?"

"I don't know, I just know that you've talked to Weasley a couple of times… or that's what Matt said anyways."

"Matt did?"

"Yeah, he and Weasley talked the other day and apparently Matt heard that you've become friends." Nathan stopped walking and turned to him.

"Draco… you're not jealous are you?"

"No!" Draco blurted out. Then he flushed a little. "Well… maybe a little bit. I don't know, I like having you as a friend and I don't want you to… you know…"

"To leave you behind?" Nathan supplied. Draco nodded, red faced. Nathan smiled gently. "Draco, you don't have to worry about that, you know. I told you, you're special. No other friend I have could match up to what you are to me right now."

"But…" Draco looked away. What way was there to say what he was thinking? That Nathan seemed to know them too well for having met them here, that every time they were mentioned he seemed to get defensive… It just seemed odd to Draco.

"I know that this is new to you," Nathan was saying. "It is to me too. But Draco…" he put his fingers under Draco's chin and made him look up into his blue eyes. "I promise that nothing's going to change that. Other friends or anything."

"So you're not keeping anything from me?" Draco asked before he could stop himself. Nathan hesitated.

"I…" Draco felt his heart skip a beat. So there really was something? But what…

"Nathan, if there's anything, please just tell me," he said, aware of his voice sounding a bit whiny but not caring. "I just… I've been thinking things lately, and I want to be wrong."

"There's nothing right now," Nathan told him, speaking carefully. "In the long run… there's going to be things that you don't know now that I'll need to tell you. But for now, I promise that there's nothing you need to know." There was a long moment of silence, then Draco sighed.

"All right," he said quietly. "I trust you, Nathan. I just don't want to worry about you."

"Then don't," Nathan said cheerfully. "There's nothing for you to worry about, all right?" He reached out and grabbed Draco's hand. "Come on, let's find our way back to the dorm."

That night, Harry lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. Draco had already fallen asleep. Harry could hear his soft, even breathing from the other side of the room. He rolled over onto his stomach and muffled a groan in his pillow. There was no other way to look at it – he was screwed. He had lied to Draco, he was lying to Ron and Hermione, and it was all starting to tangle around him. He just wanted to be able to live his life without the feeling that it could all crash down on top of him.

Shifting onto his side, Harry gazed over at Draco. The strength of the feelings he was feeling for the other boy now almost scared him. It made him worry about what was going to happen when he found out. If there was anything that he didn't want right now, it was for Draco to turn away from him. Matt was so close to Draco that anything he confided in him was dangerous. And he didn't want Ron to find out about this. If he imagined the look on his friend's face when he found out that Harry had snogged Draco Malfoy…

Which left Harry in a way on his own. He had friends who he trusted and cared for, and yet he couldn't tell any of them what was really going on in his head. But he'd been down this road before. If he kept it all in his head like this, he was going to go crazy and not be able to act like Nathan or like himself. He squeezed his eyes shut. Who on earth was he going to talk to about this?

A crazy thought entered his head. Harry opened his eyes, blinking. Why on earth had he just thought that? Wasn't that the thing he was trying to avoid the most right now?

But that was the one person who might be able to actually help him…

"Next time I try something like this, tell me I'm crazy," he whispered to the ceiling. He grabbed his wand from his bedside table and sat up quietly. If he was going to do this, he'd better do it fast before he changed his mind.

He was going to need a little help from Draco though…

Hermione woke up suddenly to a hand on her shoulder. She sat upright with a gasp, fumbling for her wand in the dark. She froze at the sound of a whisper.

"Hermione, sssh! It's just me!" A wand tip lit the darkness, showing a figure holding both his wand and hers. She outright stared.

"…_Harry?_" He gave her a small smile.

"Hey, Hermione. Can I talk to you about something?"

**Author's Note**

_Hello again! I have an exciting piece of news for you lovely readers out there. I'm officially announcing the sequel to Swords Crossed! This story still has a ways to go, but the idea for the second story just appeared in my head and refuses to go away. So look forward to that in the future, and I hope you continue to read! Please leave reviews of your opinion of this chapter; I'd love to read them!_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hermione stared at Harry. He was perched on the edge of her bedside table, holding both of their wands – probably to keep her from using hers against him in any way. He was wearing a loose shirt that was partially unbuttoned and a pair of pants that were a little askew, as if he had gotten dressed in a hurry. He looked at her nervously as she took it all in.

"Er… Hermione? Look, I know this is random, if you want me to go away-"

"It's fine," Hermione said hastily, quickly rolling out of bed and grabbing a robe to wrap around herself. "I mean, I just wasn't expecting… I obviously wasn't expecting…" She shook her head and turned forcibly towards him. "Harry James Potter, do you have any _idea_ how worried Ron and I have been about you? We've been trying to find you so hard, and you _have_ to have known we were here, and then you just come casually waltzing in here wanting to talk-" She cut herself off with a deep breath. "I just… _why?_"

"I know, I know, it makes no sense," Harry said with a grimace. "To you _or_ me, trust me on this one." He looked at her firmly. "I'm not going back with you – at least not now, Hermione. I have things I need to sort out here first. And _yes_ I'm here, and I knew you were here, and I know that I'm causing all sorts of trouble… but honestly, Hermione, I needed this. To get away for a while, you know?" Hermione bit her lip.

"I…" she hesitated. "I know I was hard on you, Harry," she said at last, looking away from him. "I told you I was sorry and I really meant that. You didn't deserve to be at the receiving end of my need to, to, I don't know…" she waved her hands expansively, and he filled in.

"Control things?"

"I guess," Hermione said with a sigh, sitting on the end of her bed. "And I just… I wanted to make it up to you, but you were _gone_ and I couldn't, and I still missed you so much that… well, here we are." She looked up at him a little guiltily. He sighed and shook his head.

"I know," he told her. "Well, maybe I didn't exactly know, but… I had an idea." He came and sat next to her (keeping the wands away from her still, she noticed) and smiled a little. "I was angry at you. Really angry, in fact. I just didn't feel like you were seeing me as a person anymore, Hermione. And I hate being a celebrity. So I just snapped. But when it comes down to it…" He looked her dead in the eyes, his green ones glinting in the light from the moon. "You were one of my first friends, Hermione. You'll always be important to me. I mean, look at all the stuff we _did_ together…"

"There was a lot of that," She admitted with a small laugh. "My school days would have been perfect on paper if I hadn't met you and Ron, no detentions or anything I'm sure."

"You would have had a lot less fun, admit it," Harry said with a laugh of his own, adjusting his shirt a little. "But the point I'm trying to make, Hermione, is that something like that isn't going to make me abandon you for good. Nothing really could, at this point. So have a little faith in me, okay?" He coked his head at her, smiling. "When it comes down to it, I'm still me." Hermione felt herself growing a little teary eyed and smiled at him, quickly rubbing her eyes.

"Thanks," she whispered. "I guess… somehow, after all this time, I still needed to hear that."

"Well, then I'm glad I said it," Harry teased. He suddenly shifted, becoming uncomfortable again. "Um…"

"That's right, you said you had something to talk about," Hermione gasped, suddenly remembering. "Oh gosh, I didn't mean to blow you off-"

"You didn't, you didn't," Harry said hastily. "I think we needed to have that talk too, but… um…" He hesitated, and Hermione waited for him to gather his thoughts. At last he looked up at her.

"Hermione… what would you say if I said that I discovered that I was gay? Homosexual, I mean?" She stared at him. She blinked. Then she blinked again. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, that wasn't it.

"I… is that something you're likely to tell me?" She asked him, trying to make her brain work again. He was flushed now.

"Well, I mean, I didn't think I was, and then I met someone, and he was just… I mean, I never would have expected it, and then it was _there_, and suddenly I'm feeling so dependent on him and he has so much to offer me that I never would have guessed, and…" He cut himself off and shook his head a little ruefully. "And I'm babbling. Great."

"It's fine," Hermione said. "Um… I mean, if you've found someone you love, that's great, Harry. I'm not against it at all. I can't speak for Ron or anyone, but… if you're happy, then that's great."

"But see, I'm not sure if I am anymore, that's the problem," Harry told her. "I mean, I like… maybe even love… I really care for him. And I think he's starting to suspect that there's more to me then the face that he sees, and I _hate_ having to lie to him, especially since someday I'm going to have to tell him the truth, and then…" He trailed off, and Hermione saw his concern at once.

"You have no idea how he's going to react," she finished for him. He nodded glumly. Hermione sat back to think for a moment. At length, she looked at him.

"Why ask me about this?" She asked. "I mean, I'm happy that you did, but since I'm the one you're, well, kind of hiding from…"

"I didn't know who else to talk to," Harry confessed. "None of the friends I've made here would know what I was talking about – or even if I confided part of it to them, it might get back to him. And Ron… well, normally I would go to him, but…" he winced. "I'm not sure he's going to react well to this."

"Makes sense, I suppose," Hermione said with a small smile. "Would you prefer he didn't know about this conversation, then?"

"At least not the second part," Harry said nervously. "This part, I mean." Hermione nodded.

"Well… I'm not sure exactly what to tell you right now," she admitted. "It's quite possibly a unique situation. But I think… I think that if you truly care for each other, and you build a relationship, that it'll be easier. It's still going to be hard when he finds out, no matter what. But if you start letting a bit of your true self show, personality wise, then maybe…" She shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, that's not really much help for anything, is it?"

"I'm… not sure," Harry said, obviously thinking about it. He frowned a little. "But you know, it does help that someone else knows about this, now. That it's not just me."

"Well, if that's all I can do, then that's enough," Hermione said with a smile. She gave a small gasp as Harry reached over and gave her a quick hug.

"Thanks, Hermione," He whispered in her ear before pulling back. She opened her mouth to say something, but then somehow he was gone, slipping into the shadows of her room and vanishing, leaving just her wand laying on the bed beside her.

_Hmmm, a more serious chapter… a shift in tone to be sure. I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who's been putting this story on alert. I'm simply AMAZED that so many people like this story, and I can't really express here how grateful I am for that! So I'll just leave it at thanks, and I hope you continue reading and enjoying the story! We're approaching the climax soon =D_


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next morning, Ron walked out into the main room of the suite he shared with Hermione to find her curled up in a chair, wearing her robe, a mug of coffee cupped between her hands. She looked exhausted, as though she hadn't slept all night. He stopped and stared at her, his stomach twinging a bit with nerves. Something was clearly wrong.

"Um… Hermione?" She looked over her shoulder at him, blinking sleepily.

"Oh. G'morning…" Hermione yawned a bit, raising a hand to cover it before taking a small sip of her coffee. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, mostly," Ron said, leaving out the fact that he had stayed up part of the night thinking about Nathan and Harry again. "What about you? You don't look like you got any sleep at all last night, no offense…"

"None taken. I didn't get very much, admittedly. I had a surprise visitor."

"A visitor?" Ron sat across from her, curious. "Who comes to visit people in the middle of the night?"

"Someone who doesn't want to be found by us," Hermione said, her voice matter-of-fact. "A certain Harry Potter." Ron felt his eyes grow wide.

"Harry? But… what in the name of Merlin's pants was Harry doing in your room of all places?" He felt his ears growing warm as a thought occurred to him. "He didn't… ah… I mean, you didn't…"

"Oh, stop that," Hermione said with another yawn. "Nothing happened, you pervert. He just… wanted to talk."

"He wanted to talk," Ron said disbelievingly. "He's been gone for _how_ long, hiding from us, and suddenly he shows up in your room, in the middle of the night with no warning… because he wanted to talk."

"That's about the size of it," Hermione confirmed. "I didn't believe it either, trust me, but that's all he wanted. Just to talk. Scared me to no end when he showed up."

"So… what did you talk about?" Ron asked, leaning forward a bit. Maybe there had been something to confirm his suspicions in this late night conversation.

"Oh, nothing too important," Hermione said, a bit too quickly in Ron's opinion. He also noted a slight flush on her cheeks that she tried to hide by taking another sip of coffee.

"No… clues or anything?" he prompted her.

"Not that I could find. Although what's truly odd is the way he left. He didn't leave through the door, near as I could tell. It's more like he just faded into the shadows and was gone."

"He Apparated? But no, you can't do that on school grounds." Ron frowned, running a hand through his already messy bedhead. "Then how…"

"Don't ask me, I racked my brain all night and couldn't come up with anything," Hermione sighed. "But he… looks well," she said, her voice trembling a bit. "And he seemed to be happy."

"I see…" Ron sighed. "Hermione, I haven't told you this yet, but… I think there's someone I want to look at more closely." Hermione sat up so quickly that a little coffee splashed over the edge of her mug, but she didn't seem to notice, her eyes fixed on Ron.

"Why wouldn't you tell me something like that?" She demanded, her eyes shining.

"I don't know! I guess it didn't seem like the right time yet?" Ron shrugged, trying to look casual. "I asked one of his friends to look into it, I didn't mention anything specific, but… he'll get me the information, and then I'll let you know if it's worth looking into more." Hermione gave him a piercing look before sighing and slumping back in her chair.

"Normally I would say that's a horrible idea, but I'm probably just tired enough to go along with it," she said, sipping more coffee. "I don't know _where_ my ability to pull all-nighters went, I used to do it all the time the night before a big test…" Ron stood up and gently removed the mug from her hands.

"Well instead of caffeinating yourself into oblivion, which is what it looks like you're trying to do, why don't you go take a nap or something? You can't get much done in this mental state anyways."

"But…!" Hermione began to protest, reaching for her coffee. Ron held it out of reach and raised his eyebrows at her.

"Nap…?"

"Oh, all right…" Hermione stood up with a groan, stretching out her back, which popped as she did so. "But keep me posted, all right?"

"You got it," Ron said, waving as Hermione wandered back into her room. It was only after she shut the door that he realized she'd never told him what Harry had wanted to talk to her about.

Harry woke up the next morning feeling awful. He'd taken another dose of the potion and then spent the majority of the night lying awake, staring at the ceiling lost in though. It seemed as though no time at all had passed between him finally drifting off and being woken up by a clatter in the hallway outside his room. He turned his face into his pillow with a groan, not wanting to move.

"Are you _still_ in bed?" Draco's voice demanded. "Nathan, you can't spend the whole day in there."

"I can try," Harry said wistfully into his pillow. "It's a very nice thought."

"I'm sure it is, but you really should get up. We have things to get ready for tomorrow, remember? And we don't have classes today, so we have to take advantage of the whole day."

"Can't I take advantage of it by sleeping?" Harry asked plaintively, rolling over onto his side to stare at the blonde boy, who was brushing his hair. "I _like_ sleeping."

"You act like you got no sleep all night, Nathan. You've been in bad for at least 11 hours now. I think its past time for you to get up." Unwilling to tell his roommate that he'd left the room the night before, Harry managed to pull himself into a sitting position with a yawn. He blinked at Draco, who crossed his arms with a bemused smile. Harry sniffed, smelling something in the air that he recognized.

"Coffee?" He said hopefully. "How did we end up with coffee in our room?" Draco pointed to a mug on Harry's bedside table, which was immediately seized on.

"Since you made friends with the house elves, they seem to want to make us happy," He said. "They brought some for me too."

"House elves," Harry announced after taking a long drink of the warm beverage, "Are wonderful. I'd forgotten."

"Do you have a house elf?" Draco asked, a strange undertone in his voice. Harry, still a bit sleepy, didn't notice it and answered without thinking.

"Well kind of, I had one that was left to me by my godfather, but…" Suddenly hearing himself, Harry trailed off, looking uncertainly at Draco. The blonde was giving him an odd look. "What?"

"You never mentioned having a house elf before. Not even when we were in the kitchens. And I didn't know you had a godfather either."

"I… I didn't think it was important?" Harry said, slightly desperate. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"I told you that I trusted you, Nathan, and I really want to. But I feel like there's something you're not telling me." Harry swallowed nervously, feeling a sudden lump in his throat. His mug of coffee sat forgotten in his hands as he and Draco looked at one another. He wanted to tell him the truth, but at the same time… there was a likelihood that he would hate him if he knew. But on the other hand, it wasn't as though Harry could keep it a secret forever.

"Nathan?" Draco said softly. "Please?"

"After the party," Harry said quietly. "Okay? Because… I want to make it a good day. For Matt at least. And then… then there's something I probably should tell you."

As Nathan spoke, Draco felt as though his world was dropping away from underneath him. He had wanted so badly for there to be nothing, for there to be no reason to worry. And now he was being told that there was something. He wanted to know now, wanted to know badly, especially considering his worst fears on the subject. But Nathan was sitting there looking so scared that he just couldn't bring himself to push the subject. The party was tomorrow, and that really wasn't too long to wait… was it?

"All right," He said, trying to force a smile. "I'll wait. But if there's going to be a party at all, you have to finish that coffee and get out of bed." Draco reached out and ruffled Nathan's hair a little, trying to keep his hand from lingering. He needed to act as though it was all right. That was what was important right now.

The rest of the day found the two working with Tyler, Matt's roommate, as well as other members of the fencing team to get the party ready. The house elves helped provide decorations and finished working out the menu with Nathan. Draco tried to work with everyone else, smiling and joking as best as he could. But every so often, against his will, his eyes would stray to Nathan's face. He wondered if the other boy was having to fake the smile on his face as well. And more than anything, he wondered what was behind that smile. After setting up the basics for the party the next day, Draco and Nathan were walking across the grounds when they ran into Matt himself.

"What have you guys been up to?" He wanted to know. "I went to your room earlier but you weren't there."

"What, are we supposed to be at your beck and call?" Nathan teased. "We had some stuff to finish up, that's all."

"You're being sneaky," Matt said, grinning back. "I'll get to the bottom of this, you know. I can't resist a mystery."

"Yes, I'm sure you're a great detective," Nathan said, rolling his eyes. Matt opened his mouth as though to retort, but shut it again, his silver eyes lighting on Draco. He frowned.

"Hey, what's with you? You look upset."

"Oh. Nothing really," Draco said, smiling. Matt didn't look impressed.

"Right. Come on, we're going to go talk." He grabbed his cousin by the arm and began towing him off, leaving Nathan behind with a wave. Draco tried to protest.

"What are you doing? I'm fine, there was no reason to leave Nathan all by himself!"

"There was," Matt said simply, pulling him behind one of the buildings and placing his hands on the other boy's shoulders. "You're upset, and it clearly has something to do with Nathan. I can tell just by looking at you. So talk." Draco hesitated, not wanting to say anything and knowing that he couldn't exactly tell Matt all of his suspicions. But he found himself talking almost against his will.

"I feel like Nathan is hiding something from me. It's like sometimes he says things and then stops as though he's afraid to say more. It… it sounds weird, but it's almost like there's another person underneath 'Nathan', and he's scared to show me who it is." He looked up at his cousin. "Then I usually start thinking that I'm going crazy." Matt looked thoughtful.

"Have you mentioned this to Nathan?"

"Kind of. I asked him yesterday if he was hiding anything and he said no. But this morning…" Draco sighed miserably. "This morning I asked him again, and he didn't say no. He said he'll have something to tell me later, but that he couldn't tell me right now. Which means he is hiding something from me after all. And I…" He stopped, but Matt pushed him on.

"And you…?"

"And I'm scared that I know what he's hiding," Draco said softly. "That I know what he might tell me. And I want very, very badly to be wrong." Matt was quiet for a moment.

"What are you scared he'll tell you?" He asked at last." Draco shook his head.

"I can't tell you that, Matt, I really can't. Not that I don't want to, but it's not mine to tell." The other boy shrugged a little.

"All right, fair enough. So then what about this. What happens if you're right?" Draco hesitated, thinking. He hadn't really let himself think about this before, not wanting to admit that it was really an option. But now he forced himself to think about it, candidly and with no filters. What would he do if he was right? What if… what if Nathan really _was_ Potter?

"If I'm right," he said slowly, "If I'm right… then I don't know if I could ever see him again. That would be something that I'm not sure I could ever forgive him for." Matt stood silently again as Draco tried to keep his composure. The very idea that he could have been making friends with Potter this whole time made him angry. It wasn't as though he'd never wanted to be friends with the Griffindor. He'd even offered, their first year. But the fact that Potter had always said no, had always _been_ there as though for the express purpose to flaunt to Draco that he had his own life and that he had no interest in ever being friends… it had been galling.

Then there had been the war. Draco could barely make himself think about those dark months, with his father trying to appease the Dark Lord, his mother trembling, and Draco… he trembled to even think about the things he had been forced to do, the Dark Mark that had been branded onto him. He remembered the day they had brought Weasley and Granger in and forced a boy in front of him, a boy with greasy black hair and a swollen face and demanded to know if he was Potter. The green eyes in that face had glared at him with such hatred and contempt. Later that night, Potter and his friends had escaped, with Draco's old house elf of all people helping them.

Now that the war was over, Draco had moved on, trying to be a better person. But Potter was the one person that he wasn't sure he could ever make things right with. He admired the other boy in a grudging sort of way. Nathan had been a way for Draco to start over, look at things in a new light. In some ways, it had been his similarities to Potter that had drawn Draco to him in the first place. But if they were the same person… if Potter had been lying to him this whole time, laughing at him behind Nathan's smile… Draco didn't think he could ever come to terms with that.

"Tell you what," Matt said softly, startling Draco out of his thoughts. "Let me talk to Nathan, all right? See what's going on with him, see how he's doing, that sort of thing. You two are both my friends, and I don't want to see you two upset over this. Would that make things better for you?" Draco hesitated, not sure. Matt smiled at him winningly. "Come on, what could go wrong?"

"…All right." Draco looked his cousin in the eyes. "Thanks, Matt."

Harry wasn't quite sure what to do with himself after Draco was dragged away by his cousin. He wandered off aimlessly through the grounds, eventually settling himself under a tree and staring blankly at nothing in particular. He had told Draco that he would tell him what was going on after the party. Now he was stuck. If he told Draco the truth, told him who he really was, he knew there was no guarantee that the other boy would stay around him for a moment longer. To be honest, Harry wouldn't blame him if he did leave him. It was the thought of the blonde leaving that hurt.

At the beginning of this adventure, Harry never would have guessed how it would have come out. He had been tired, he had been desperate, and he had gone to the first opening that presented itself. And somehow, in a way he couldn't quite fathom, Draco had been the one standing on the other side of that opening, waiting for him. It wasn't as though Harry could ever truly leave his old friends. He wouldn't ever want to leave them completely, no matter how stressed out he became. But now he had discovered something new.

He'd always seen Draco at school, acting like a little prick. Quite honestly, he'd been annoyed by the Slytherin on more than one occasion – to be honest, probably on more than twenty occasions. But he'd been a constant. It was part of going back to Hogwarts for Harry. You went back and there were your friends, your professors, your house, your classes… and then there was your rivals, your enemies, your… whatever you wanted to call them. Harry had wanted to learn magic. Then, he'd wanted to prove his magic to himself, and to Draco. He remembered sneaking out for a wizard's duel his first year. He snorted softly. He and Draco had both been little idiots back then. But he'd wanted to prove himself to the blonde Slytherin, for whatever reason.

They'd been on opposite sides during the war. Draco had been on the tower the night that Dumbledore had died. But he hadn't killed him. Harry guessed that he had been supposed to, but somehow he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. There was a question that had never quite resolved itself for Harry after that time. What kind of person would Draco have been, given the chance? If he hadn't been born under the Dark Mark, who might he have been? Since becoming Nathan, Harry felt like he'd seen that person, the Draco who hadn't been raised in darkness. To his surprise, he'd found that he liked that person as a friend. After that, he'd discovered that he liked him as more than a friend.

"Found you!" Harry jumped at the suddenly cheerful voice behind him, startled out of his train of thought entirely. Matt stood peering around the tree, grinning. "You were spaced out."

"I was _thinking_," Harry retorted, feeling his face grow warm. "I thought you were talking to Draco."

"I was. That was a while ago. Now I'm talking to you." Harry blinked, glancing up at the sun. Sure enough, it had moved since he'd first sat down.

"Oh. I didn't realize it had been that long," he said sheepishly. "So… you want to talk to me?"

"Yeah." Matt swung himself around to sit under the tree next to Harry. "If you don't mind."

"I don't. What's up?"

"Well… Draco seems worried about things. He said that you told him you had things to tell him later? It's got him pretty worried." Harry winced.

"I thought that might be it." He sighed, looking back up at the sky, mostly covered in steely clouds. "It's complicated, Matt."

"Complicated happens," Matt said cheerfully. "I'm here to listen." Harry hesitated.

"Well… it's hard to talk about," he said quietly. "I have been hiding things, maybe not as well as I could have. And if Draco ever finds out… I don't think he'll still want to know me at all."

"That's a rather fatalistic view," the other boy observed. "You almost sound like a different person."

"That's just it though," Harry blurted out desperately. "Matt, what if I _was_ a different person?" There was dead silence under the tree as Matt blinked his silver eyes at the other boy.

"You mean… if you weren't Nathan?"

"You really can't talk to Draco about this," Harry begged. "Please? I just… I don't know what to do, and I talked to someone about it, but…"

"Wait, wait," Matt said, holding up a hand. "You mean… You're not Nathan." He looked at Harry, his eyes strange. "So then where's the real Nathan?"

"You won't tell Draco?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"Okay." Harry took a deep breath. "Matt… Nathan never existed to begin with." He looked the other boy dead in the eyes, all masks down except the one that the potion created. Matt's eyes were wide.

"So… let me see if I have this straight," he said slowly. "Nathan's… not a real person." Harry nodded. "But _you're_ a real person, right? Not a ghost or something?" Harry nodded again, and Matt let out a huge breath. "I didn't really think…" he muttered under his breath so softly that Harry almost didn't hear him. Then at a normal volume, "So who _are_ you then?"

"I…" Harry hesitated. "Matt, I hid who I am for a reason, I don't think people will treat me the same if they knew…" Matt looked at him.

"Nathan – no, I mean – look, _whatever_ your name is, you clearly can't keep this hidden forever. This is what you were planning on telling Draco, right?"

"Yes," Harry said, "But I don't know _how_ to tell him, he's going to hate me!"

"He wouldn't hate you! I mean, the only way he would is if you knew him before you met him here or something, and…" Matt trailed off at the look on Harry's face. "You knew him before, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "I did. And we weren't exactly friends."

"Which explains why you think he'd be angry," Matt finished. He looked Harry in the eyes. "Are you sure that you can't tell me your real name?"

"…only if you promise that you won't be angry," Harry said at last. His stomach felt as though it was flipping over from nerves.

"I'm still going to be your friend no matter what," Matt told him firmly. Harry hesitated again, but looking at the other boy, he knew he had to say it.

"Matt… I'm really Harry Potter."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The morning of the party, it was dark and cloudy outside. When Draco looked outside, he felt as though it was reflecting the mood inside his and Nathan's room that morning. Nathan had come back the night before very quiet. Draco, lost in his own thoughts, hadn't wanted to bridge the gap between them. Now, this entire morning, they had yet to speak a word to one another. It was as though they could both feel the tension and both were unsure what would happen if they broke it. It might be that if they broke the silence, the clouds would release a storm on top of them.

Draco was startled out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see Nathan looking at him. The brunette's blue eyes had an almost apologetic look to them, and he looked tired, as though he had gotten older in just the past few days. Draco felt as though he could almost read the words in those eyes, but they were just out of his reach, behind something that he didn't understand yet.

"After the party," he said, surprised at the sound of his own voice. He hadn't meant to say anything at all. Nathan merely nodded.

"After the party," he repeated, his voice quiet. They stood there a moment longer, both unsure of what to say, if anything. There didn't seem to be a correct thing to do. Both of them knew that something was going to change after the party. Draco wasn't sure what it would be, but he knew that all he could do was wait and hope.

Eventually, the two started their walk towards the party. They were meeting Matt on the way and taking him with them. Draco spotted his cousin at a distance, his blonde hair fluttering in the wind that was beginning to pick up. It looked as though there would be a storm that day after all. The other boy waved at them as they approached.

"Draco, Nathan! Am I finally going to figure out what this is about?" He asked, laughing as he looked at Draco. When his gaze fell upon Nathan, however, the smile seemed to fade a little. There was a moment between the two where blue eyes looked into silver, almost as though a whole conversation were taking place. Draco felt a chill up his spine. He'd never found out what Matt and Nathan had talked about the day before. Was it possible that Matt knew Nathan's secret as well? Had Nathan told him before even trusting Draco with it? The Slytherin shook his head a little. He couldn't allow himself to think that way. But at the same time…

"Well, should we go?" Nathan said, his voice bright. Draco looked at him and could tell that the smile was faked. However, since he couldn't say anything without making a scene before the party, he just smiled back.

"Yeah, we should." They began their walk across the grounds, but Draco stopped dead in his tracks as someone else stepped out in front of them. Weasley looked directly at Nathan, though he spoke as though to the whole group.

"Hey. Are you busy right now?" Nathan whipped his head around to look at Matt. Draco could see an accusing look in his eyes, one that Matt didn't respond to. The redhead in front of them looked worried.

"We were actually in the middle of something," Draco drawled, pulling out the expression he had used so many times in the War to hide his real feelings. "I'm sure whatever you need to say can wait."

"I'm just as sure it can't, Malfoy," the other boy snapped. Nathan was looking at the redhead now.

"You need to talk to me, don't you." It wasn't a question. Weasley nodded, and Nathan took a deep breath as though to steady himself. He gave Draco a weak smile. "I'll catch up with you, all right?" Draco was about to protest, but Matt laid a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go, Draco," he hissed. Draco found himself practically dragged away, leaving Nathan and Weasley behind.

"Matt, you don't understand, we need Nathan to come with us!" He snapped, wrenching his cousin's hand off of his shoulder. "You have no idea what's going on right now!"

"Actually Draco, I think I have a better idea than you do," Matt said steadily. "Those two need to talk. Nathan will catch up with us later, I made sure of that. He has things he needs to tell you, after all." Draco stared at his cousin. His silver eyes were hard.

"You know, don't you," he whispered. "You know what Nathan's not telling me." Matt looked away. "Damn it, Matt, answer me! You know, don't you?"

"What difference does it make if I say yes?" Matt retorted. "Draco, _think_. It's not as if I don't care about Nathan too. I've cared about him this whole time, and I want what's best for him as much as anyone. If this is what he needs, this is what I'm going to give him." Draco stepped back a step in shock at the force of this reply. He stared at his cousin in shock, his eyes wide.

"You like him too, don't you," he said quietly. "You have this whole time, and you never said anything." Matt's eyes held a flash of anger before being replaced with his normal smiling face.

"Come on, Draco. Aren't we going to be late for where you're taking me? We should hurry." He turned away and started walking again. Draco could only stand there, staring after him. If his cousin had liked Nathan all this time, why had he helped Draco realize his feelings at all? And more importantly, if he cared about Nathan… why was it so urgent that Nathan and Weasley talk?

Ron stood facing Nathan. The wind had increased again, causing the other boy's light brown hair to whip over his eyes, but that didn't stop Ron from seeing what was in front of him. Whatever mask had been there before had been stripped away. He knew who he was looking at now, no matter what his face looked like. The other boy looked at him steadily. Ron wasn't sure how to begin the conversation, but he was saved from having to.

"Matt told you." The quiet voice wasn't asking a question. Ron took a deep breath, knowing that he couldn't go back.

"I did talk to Matt."

"I should have known better, huh?"

"You act like this is a bad thing."

"That depends. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know." The other boy's blue eyes widened a bit in surprise, so Ron repeated himself. "I don't know, all right? I don't have all the answers, I don't even know what to say to you right now. All I know is that… is that I want to hear it from you." He closed his eyes, trying to stay calm. "The truth."

"Ron…" There was a sigh. "You know it's me."

"I do." Ron opened his eyes again. "Harry…" His friend was looking away from him now. Ron took a hesitant step forward, then another, until he stood directly in front of him. Harry looked up at him, his eyes tired.

"So this means it's over," he said quietly.

"It doesn't have to," Ron said. "I didn't tell Hermione yet, mate. Well, that should be pretty obvious from the fact that she's not here crying all over you." Harry cracked a small smile at that.

"Yeah, she would, wouldn't she." He ran a hand through his hair with a groan of frustration. "This is so conflicting, you know that? I'm kind of upset that you know, and I'm really upset that Matt told you, but at the same time…" He smiled sheepishly at Ron. "I missed you, you know that?"

"Idiot, you think you're the only one?" Ron punched his friend in the shoulder playfully. "We spent _how_ many years on random adventures together, and now you suddenly just run away from everything? I thought that was my thing."

"Except you came back," Harry pointed out. "You came back and helped when you didn't have to." Ron hesitated, the memory of that night in the woods coming back to him clearly for a moment.

"Then maybe this is your time to come back," he said. Harry stared at him. "No, I mean it! I mean, it's not like we have a Dark Lord to defeat or anything this time, but… Well, when I left back then, I needed that time to figure out what to do, you know? It helped me come to terms, and then I was ready to come back." He felt his ears growing warm. "So… I don't know how this has been for you, but maybe at the end of all this… you'll be ready to come back, you know?"

"Yeah," Harry said quietly. "Yeah, I think I do." He reached out suddenly and, to Ron's surprise, pulled him into a hug. "Thanks." Ron hesitantly hugged him back.

"That's what mates are for, right?" he joked. "Telling you when you've been an idiot."

"I think I realized that plenty well on my own," Harry said as he stepped back and rolled his eyes a little. "This all seemed like such a good idea at first, you know? And the more it's gone on, the more I've managed to dig myself into a hole that I'm not sure I can climb back out of." He looked off the direction that the Malfoy cousins had gone.

"Matt doesn't hate you, you know," Ron said. "He came to me privately and talked to me about what happened yesterday." He felt embarrassed, not wanting to admit that he had asked the other boy to keep an eye on Nathan.

"Matt, maybe not," Harry said ruefully. "But he might be the only one, in the end." Ron hesitated, not sure what to say.

"Harry… are you talking about Malfoy?" He said carefully. "You two seemed pretty close, and I mean, I don't want to… I just…" He fumbled and trailed off. Harry blushed, looking embarrassed.

"If you even knew," he said carefully, "The things that have happened these last two months… especially with him… It's almost like a different person did them then who I was before."

"Well you kind of were, in a way," Ron pointed out, gesturing to the brown hair and blue eyes. "I still have no idea how you did that, by the way. But how does that…"

"It's like I was a different person," Harry said again, as though thinking out loud, "And I did miss the old me, but at the same time… The new me felt right." He shrugged, burying his hands into the pockets of his robes. "But there's things that don't feel right about both of them, and now I'm not sure which me is the real me, I guess." Ron shivered a little as the wind bit through his cloak.

"S-so you're not really who Harry was, but you're not really who Nathan is either?" He asked, trying to hide how cold he was getting. Unfortunately, Harry noticed anyway.

"Come on, we can walk and talk at the same time," he said, gesturing with a nod of his head the direction Matt and Malfoy had gone. "We were headed to Matt's surprise party after all. I think you kind of killed the mood."

"I didn't even know it was Matt's birthday," Ron said truthfully. "I think it was kind of a mood killer to begin with, telling him that one of his good friends isn't real."

"Hey, at least I didn't show up out of nowhere like a big red beacon," Harry teased, pointing to Ron's ears. The redhead was about to retort, but wound up bursting out laughing instead.

"This coming from someone who left me alone with Hermione for two months," he managed to get out between breaths. Harry snorted a bit before cracking up as well. The two friends stopped walking, immobilized by their laughter. After a while, they both managed to catch their breath and smiled at one another.

"Good to have you back, mate," Ron said.

"Same to you."

On the way to the party, Harry talked nonstop with Ron, catching up on things he hadn't been able to before with his friend. Ron asked him a lot of questions, but Harry noticed that he skirted around mentioning the subject of Draco. In his own way, he was grateful for this. While he appreciated his friends and most of the time felt as though he could tell them anything, in this instance he wasn't sure that either Ron or Hermione would fully understand. In exchange for Harry's stories, Ron shared his own about life with Hermione and about what had been going on with people Harry knew.

"Mum's been less frantic since you sent her that letter, but she's still worried," he informed his friend. "You're never going to hear the end of it from her."

"Considering your mum, that doesn't surprise me," Harry said with a sigh. "I'll make it up to her."

"Look on the bright side, when you come home, she's going to cook you a twelve course feast of whatever you want to eat. At _least_ twelve courses," Ron laughed. Then his eyes grew doubtful. "Mate… you are eventually coming back, aren't you? You can't live the rest of your life as Nathan." Harry hesitated.

"I know I can't live as Nathan," He said slowly. "I made enough false information to get by for this year, but I don't think I could hold it up to much scrutiny after that. But at the same time… I don't know if I can go back to before, either."

"Well, you won't have to with Hermione. You know that." Ron looked a bit confused. "Is this what you were talking about before?" Harry nodded, trying to think of how best to put it.

"There have been things I've done as Nathan that I never would have done as Harry," he said. "And some of those things I really liked. On top of that, some of the things I left behind I really missed. Like Quidditch." He shared a grin with his friend. "Clearly I couldn't get entirely away from that one if I wanted to."

"I've always told you, mate, you were born with talent for that game."

"The point is, though," Harry continued, "That I can't just forget about the new things I've discovered, or the new people I've met, or the new parts of myself that I discovered." Ron frowned, clearly thinking.

"So you want to try and find a way to combine what Nathan has here with what Harry has back home," he said. "And be both at once?"

"Kind of. I guess even I'm not entirely sure," Harry said with a sigh. "And while Matt's not angry with me… I'm not sure what I should tell anyone else I've met here." There was a silence as Harry debated with himself before saying it. "Especially Draco." Ron seemed to jerk a little at the name, clearly startled. Harry winced, bracing himself for a reaction. There wasn't one for a while.

"You… really became good friends with him, didn't you," Ron said uncertainly.

"I did," Harry said quietly. "I mean, I wasn't looking for it, and I didn't expect it, but he's… well, I won't say he's a nice person, because he isn't, at least not to everyone. But he's different now that he doesn't have the expectations of his family legacy over him."

"…I somehow can't picture that," Ron said. "Not that I'm calling you a liar, mate, just that… I mean, _Malfoy_?"

"I know, I know. I kind of guessed that you'd react like this." Harry hesitated. "Except maybe with a bit more shouting."

"So… Malfoy has no idea that you're you." Ron smirked a little. "The look on his face is going to be priceless."

"And then he'll hate me," Harry groaned.

"Well… maybe he won't." Ron plowed on over a started argument from Harry. "No, listen. I don't pretend to like him, or that I trust him in the slightest. But you said that you became friends with him and that he's changed." The two halted outside of the door to the party. "If you consider him as good of a friend as Hermione or me, then you need to _think_. You lied to us and ran away. Yeah, it hurt for a while. But I clearly don't hate you." He raised his eyebrows. "If he does hate you, mate, then he's clearly not as good of a friend as you think he is." Harry stared at his friend.

"You are the last person I would have expected to hear that from," He informed him.

"I could kind of tell that from the look on your face. No one gives me any credit," Ron sighed. "So… when are you going to be ready to talk to Hermione?" Harry shut his eyes, rubbing at the beginning of a headache in his temples.

"I don't know. I told Draco I'd talk to him tonight about things… he doesn't know what yet," he said quickly. "But I was planning on telling him tonight. So…" He hesitated.

"So if you need a place to hide so that he doesn't kill you, we can expect you tonight?" Ron said with a smirk. Harry made a rude gesture at his friend, who just laughed. Harry sighed.

"I'd be angrier with you if I didn't think I might _need_ a place to hide after this," he said. "If not tonight I'll come talk to her tomorrow, but I'm not promising to come home yet."

"Got it. We'll be ready for you." Ron smacked Harry lightly on the shoulder. "I'll talk to her for you, all right?"

"Thanks." Ron waved and walked off towards his rooms. Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and failing. Having only one thing he could do in the situation, he turned and opened the door to the party.

Draco felt his heart skip a beat when Nathan entered the room. His brown hair was messy from the wind outside, and he looked cold. The other boy also had a thoughtful look on his face. A couple of people from the fencing team came up and grabbed him, dragging him into the party and teasing him about being late. A Butterbeer was shoved into his hand, and he was laughing and pushing someone away when his eyes fell on Draco. His smile immediately faded, and Draco resisted the urge to look away. Nathan grabbed another Butterbeer and weaved his way through the crowd. At last he stood in front of Draco. Hesitantly he held out the Butterbeer.

"Um… I thought you might like…" he said. Draco gave a small sigh and gave Nathan a bemused look as he took it.

"I'm not going to bite, you know," he said quietly. "You don't have to look so scared. If anything I'm the one who should be scared."

"You can say that, but it won't change how scared I am," Nathan responded. He took a gulp of his Butterbeer and then looked around as though hoping a physical change of subject would come along. "So… the party got off okay?"

"Yeah. Matt seems to be having fun as well." Draco pointed to where his cousin stood in the middle of a group of friends, laughing. Nathan's eyes narrowed a little as he looked at him. Draco felt a twinge in his chest as Nathan turned back to him and tried to act like everything was normal.

"That's good at least." They stood awkwardly a while longer, interrupted only be a house elf who wanted to know if sirs would care for a chocolate éclair. Nathan took one with a reminiscent looking smile and thanked the house elf, who then walked off under the giant tray.

"So… did your talk with Weasley go all right?" Draco asked uncertainly. Nathan immediately looked nervous again.

"I… yeah, I guess so." He took another bite of éclair. "They asked me to help out with their… investigation is all." He rubbed the back of his neck. Finally, Draco couldn't take it anymore.

"I know we said after the party, but it's going well. Matt is having fun and so is everyone else except the two of us." He looked Nathan in the eyes. "I don't think I can have fun until I know what's going on, Nathan." His roommate's blue eyes had grown wide. He swallowed his last bite of éclair and looked nervous, but nodded slowly.

"All right," he said quietly. "But not here."

Ron walked back into the area he shared with Hermione to find her standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed. He stopped walking and stared at her.

"Um… Hermione?" He said "Are you angry about something?"

"Oh, of course not. Why on earth would I have reason to be angry?" Hermione said sweetly, causing Ron to wince. "Oh, _now_ I remember." She held up a pile of parchment that Ron recognized all too well. He felt his stomach sink.

"That…"

"_That_, Ron Weasley, is what I found on the table out here this morning. This and you gone." She began throwing the scrolls onto the table one by one. "Nathan's test results. An inquiry to the Ministry about Nathan. Nathan's school records so far this year. And then _this_." She held up the last one. "An interview with Malfoy's cousin. Ron, you've known this whole time haven't you?"

"I haven't known the whole time!" He protested. "I told you I was working on something!"

"I thought you meant that you had a vague idea, not that you had everything but how he managed to disguise himself!"

"I wasn't sure!" Ron yelled. "Will you listen to me for a change?" Hermione stared at him in shock. Then she threw herself into an armchair and re-folded her arms.

"I'm listening. So talk." Ron let out a deep breath.

"I had suspicions about Nathan from talking to him and seeing how he acted, I knew Malfoy's cousin was close, so I had him watch him for me. The school records were to see what subjects he was good in. I know what classes Harry's good in, so I thought I'd compare. I wanted to see if there was anything in the Ministry's records about Nathan that seemed out of place. I wanted to _know_ before I came to you Hermione, because I knew you'd react like this!" He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I was coming back to tell you that I'm sure now. I've talked to him." Hermione was staring at him.

"You talked… to Harry, you mean?"

"I did," Ron confirmed. "This interview with Malfoy's cousin was last night. He came to tell me about the conversation he had with Harry. The guy was pretty much in shock from learning the truth, from what I could tell. Harry didn't know he was going to come to me or he probably wouldn't have told him in the first place." Hermione leaned forward, real interest on her face now.

"So then it's true? Nathan is Harry?" Ron nodded.

"He's going to stop by either tonight or tomorrow. He… he has to talk to Malfoy first." Ron shrugged. "He seemed pretty worried about telling him the truth." Hermione's eyes widened and she put her hands over her mouth. "What?" Ron asked, confused. Hermione lowered her hands slowly, staring into space.

"I wonder… if that was who he was talking about," she said softly.

"Hermione?" Ron waved a hand in front of her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about right now." She blinked and looked at him as though seeing him for the first time.

"Oh! Um…" She hesitated. "Ron, you… you remember that Harry came to talk to me the other night?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Ron asked, looking confused. "And what does it have to do with Malfoy?"

"Well… you have to promise that you won't get angry," Hermione said nervously. Ron frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ron… I think that maybe… This is going to sound really strange, but I think that Harry and Malfoy might be… not just friends."

**A note from your author:**

**Two days, two chapters! I am doing my best to crank out the rest of this story and get it to my readers, since I know that it has been a wait and I am looking to move on to other projects soon. I am amazed that we have reached Chapter 20! If things aren't getting exciting enough for you yet, just wait! :D**

**Remember kids! Reviews make the author feel loved, and loved authors write faster ;)**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Okay. This isn't going to be easy." Nathan and Draco were sitting on their beds, facing each other. "Draco… there's good reasons why I haven't told you this before."

"I know," Draco said. "But _you_ know that we're not going to get anywhere if there's a big secret between us." Nathan blew out a big sigh.

"I know." He looked around the room as though trying to find something to hide behind. "Okay. Um. Did… did Matt tell you anything?"

"Matt tells me lots of things," Draco said, suddenly nervous for a new reason. "Does this have to do with Matt? Are you… interested in him or something?" Nathan looked him in the eyes for the first time since they'd entered the room, honest confusion on his face.

"As in… interested in Matt the way you and I…? Draco, where on earth would you get an idea like that? Matt's just a friend, you should know that. He didn't tell you that, did he, because if he did…"

"He didn't tell me that," Draco said hastily. "He just… never mind. I'm being ridiculous." He looked at his roommate. "No. He didn't tell me anything about what you talked about. Just that you needed to talk to Weasley." He hesitated. "I've thought through option after option of what you might tell me, but I want to hear whatever it is from you."

"Draco…" Nathan closed his eyes. "Have you ever heard of the disguise potion called _verkleiden liebe_?" Draco thought back to his potions classes.

"That's… a disguise potion, isn't it? It's very tricky to brew, but it lasts as long as necessary, unless…" he trailed off, realization hitting him like a runaway train. "Please tell me this doesn't mean what I think it does."

"I don't think I can tell you that without lying," Nathan said quietly. "I've been using the potion the entire time I've been here."

"You've been in disguise this whole time you mean," Draco said flatly. "You've been pretending that you're someone else. That's the real reason that you didn't want me to kiss you on the lips. It would show who you actually were." He tried to hold down the panic that was steadily rising in him. The more that he learned, the more he suspected that his fears were closer to the truth than he liked.

"I didn't want to lie to you," Nathan said. "Draco, everything I've done with you, all the times that we spent together here, those were real. How could they _not_ be real? You're _you_."

"But who are you?" Draco asked. "Nathan, all those times were real, but how can I know if what we had was real if I haven't even known the real you?"

"You have! I didn't change my personality just because I changed my appearance!" Nathan looked at Draco, his blue eyes full of desperation, his face pale. "I could never have faked the feelings that I've been feeling towards you."

"We kissed in the cave that time," Draco said. "How did you get out of that one?"

"My house elf. I had him ready to bring me more potion if I needed it for some reason."

"So how much of your past is a lie then? You have a house elf, you had a godfather. Were you really homeschooled? Is your age even correct?"

"My age is the same as yours," Nathan said hotly. "I wouldn't lie about something like that."

"The homeschooling?"

"…That was a lie. I created a false persona in the records of the Ministry in England, and those got transferred here."

"You're from England." Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. "You're from England, you're in disguise, and you had to talk to Weasley today. Nathan, I really want to be wrong right now." His voice caught despite himself. "Please tell me that this isn't going where I think it is."

"Draco…" Nathan reached out a hand. "Please, I don't want it to have to be like this."

"Kiss me." Draco looked Nathan dead in the eyes. The other boy was now white as a sheet.

"I…"

"If this is going where I think it is, and if it's going to have to end, then I want to at least have one more memory with Nathan before he leaves forever."

"I don't want it to end," Nathan protested. "I want to try and work through this, if we can. I'm not just the old me, there's Nathan in there too…"

"We both know what's not being said," Draco said quietly. "We both know, and we both know that there's no way that it could ever work once it's in the open. No one would let it stay this way, not from your side, and not from mine. I don't even know if I can forgive this. But I want to pretend that you're the person I fell for until I have no choice but to admit the truth."

"I haven't been lying to hurt you," the other boy said quietly. "I never did it because of that." Draco leaned forward and pressed their lips together. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to let it go, knowing that when he opened his eyes he wouldn't be able to deny it any longer. It couldn't last forever, though. The two pulled apart, and Draco looked into the green eyes across from him.

"You shouldn't have lied, Potter," he hissed. "Because whatever trust there was, whatever feelings there were – they're gone now." He pushed the other boy away and walked out of the room, blindly pushing past someone walking the opposite direction from him, leaving the black haired boy still sitting on his bed, staring after him.

Harry closed his eyes and mentally listed every swear word he knew. Draco had turned and walked away from him, anger and betrayal apparent on his face. He hadn't been able to do anything to stop him, because Harry knew he was right. If it had been him in Draco's shoes, he would have been angry too. But at the same time… it hurt. It hurt because he hadn't wanted things to end that way. He'd wanted longer to try and make it okay again.

"…Harry?" Harry opened his eyes and sat up, startled. Ron was peering nervously around the still open door. "Can I come in?"

"Ron? What are you doing here?" Harry stared. "I… yeah, you can come in." The redhead entered the room and closed the door.

"So… I guess that things didn't go as well as planned?" He asked, looking uncertain of what to say. Harry groaned.

"That would be putting it mildly," he said. "He probably doesn't even want to see me again at this point." He sighed, putting his head into his hands. "I don't suppose you have an extra room I could move into?"

"We do, actually," Ron said quietly. "I… came because Hermione thought things might turn out this way. Because of what you told her the other night." Harry looked up at his friend to see him looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"Wait, she _told_ you about that?" He asked.

"She wasn't going to, but when I told her about… about Malfoy, she thought it would be a good idea," Ron said awkwardly. "Since she can't really come into the dorm because she's a girl." The two friends were silent for a good five minutes before Harry spoke up again.

"You don't seem as upset about it as I would have thought," he said.

"Well… to be honest, I was kind of upset," Ron said, looking embarrassed. "I freaked out quite a bit at first. It… still doesn't really make sense to me." He came over and sat on the bed next to Harry. "But Hermione yelled at me, and she was right. I hate it when that happens."

"What did she yell?" Harry asked, curious.

"She told me that I was an idiot," Ron said matter-of-factly. "She said that we'd been mates long enough that this shouldn't be enough to make that change. Then she threatened to set birds on me again, like she did that one time sixth year." Harry smirked.

"Yeah, I remember that." Ron cracked a small smile too.

"Yeah, I was a bit of a git then," he said. "But the point is that she was right. You're my mate, and this shouldn't change that. Although I might have to question your taste if you're going for Slytherins." Harry jabbed his friend in the side with his elbow.

"I have better taste then you," he retorted. "Remember a certain Lavender Brown? Maybe a necklace she got you?"

"Okay, okay, point taken," Ron said hastily, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Really though. It's going to take some getting used to, and I can't guarantee that I'll be… comfortable about it for a while. But I'll do my best." Harry smiled.

"Thanks Ron," he said. "I don't deserve you guys, you know that?"

"No you don't," Ron said cheerfully. "Isn't it good for you that you have us anyway?" He pulled out his wand. "Let's get this stuff packed up so we can take it over to our spare room."

"We can take a shortcut," Harry said with a small grin. "Want to scare Hermione?"

Hermione was finding it impossible to sit still. After she had told Ron what she thought was likely going on between Harry and Malfoy and managed to calm him down, he'd left in a hurry to try and help his friend. That was half an hour ago, and she was worried. If things hadn't gone well for Harry, Ron might just make things worse. She just wanted to see both of her friends and know that things were all right. Hermione blew out a breath to cool down the mug of tea that she had cupped in her hands.

"Hey Hermione, that smells good." The tea went flying as Hermione jumped about a foot in the air. She turned to see Harry standing behind her, smiling nervously. Ron, behind him, had his wand pointed at the tea, which was now frozen in midair.

"I- how – you – where did you two come from?" Hermione spluttered. Harry winced.

"Sorry, we just wanted to surprise you a little," he said.

"There's these handy little house elf tunnels," Ron supplied, putting the tea carefully back in the mug and pulling it out of the air to give back to Hermione. "Here, you look like you're about to have a heart attack." Hermione placed the mug carefully on the table and stood to throw her arms around both Harry and Ron at once. Both boys stiffened a bit as she hung onto them, tears rolling down her face.

"You're both… huge… idiots…" she sobbed. "I was so _worried_ and you just pop up behind me as though nothing _happened_ and… and…"

"Hey, it's okay Hermione," Harry said nervously, carefully patting her on the back. "Really. We're both here now."

"So you can stop trying to strangle us now," Ron said. Hermione pulled back and glared at him.

"That's all you can say? Ron, I've been here, waiting patiently for both of you, and we're all finally here together again, and all you can say is that I'm trying to strangle you?" Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"I think she's a bit angry," he said teasingly. Ron's ears turned red.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked Hermione. "I've been trying and trying the entire time we've been here to help you, and to do what'd best for all of us, and you just keep getting angry at me." Hermione flinched.

"I don't know what I want," she retorted. "I just… I just want us all to be happy again! That's all I've ever wanted!"

"Then I'll make you happy," Ron shot back. He stepped forward and lightly kissed her on the lips. It was only the second time they had kissed. After the War, Ron had seemed too preoccupied with the losses that his family had suffered to talk about what had happened between him and Hermione before the final battle. Hermione hadn't wanted to bring it up, but now that he was kissing her, she felt as though she was melting. He pulled back and glared at her.

"Happy now?" He asked. Hermione could only nod wordlessly, her face hot. She wasn't sure which of them was blushing harder right now.

"And people say that I'm stubborn," Harry said with a sigh. "You two." Hermione squeaked a little.

"Harry, I'm sorry, we shouldn't have… I mean, after…"

"Hermione, it's fine," Harry told her. "I told Ron on the way here that he was being stupid about this whole thing. Just don't turn into one of those couples who blocks everyone else out, all right?" Hermione smiled a little.

"All right," she said, reaching out a hand and shyly twining it with Ron's. The redhead smiled sheepishly down at her. "But Harry… are you all right? I mean, if you're here… it didn't go well…?" Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah…" he said. "He didn't really take it well. I don't really blame him, I shouldn't have lied in the first place." He sighed. "I've kind of made everything into a big mess."

"You haven't messed everything up, mate. You still have us," Ron said. "I told you Matt didn't hate you and I meant it."

"You've defeated one of the most evil wizards of all time, Harry," Hermione put in. "You can't just give up. No matter how annoying it can get sometimes, you never give up." She smiled. "We still don't have clearance to return to England yet. I'm sure that you can spend a little more time here and figure out what to do next." Harry looked surprised.

"Hermione… I thought you'd want me to come back as soon as you knew the truth," he said. Hermione made a face.

"Harry, I think I've made enough mistakes by interfering with your choices," she said. "You have the time you need, you have friends behind you. If you're the person I think you are, you can still make this right."

"I told you it stinks when she's right," Ron put in. Hermione gave him a look. He just grinned back. Harry laughed a little.

"Thanks guys." He took a deep breath. "Then I guess first thing's first. Kreacher?" The house elf appeared with a crack, causing both Ron and Hermione to jump a little. "I'm going to need some more of the potion…"


	22. Omake

**In honor of the over 50,000 hits on this story, I present to you a side story in the Sword's Crossed universe. This happens in between chapters 19 and 20 and is written from Matt's perspective. It picks up right where 19 left off! Thanks to everyone who has supported this story, even though it isn't the best quality, and please enjoy this little treat! We'll be approaching the end of our story soon :)**

Swords Crossed – Another Story

"You're…what? I just… what?" Matt stared at the boy across from him. His blue eyes were apologetic and he looked, in fact, a little frightened. Matt took a deep breath.

"So… you're really…"

"Please don't give me that look," his friend begged. "It's not something that I just randomly made up, I'm not lying this time, and I'm not crazy. I know that I _sound_ crazy, but I promise it's true."

"I believe you," Matt said, and was surprised to realize that it was the truth. "Really." Nathan – Harry – looked relieved.

"Sorry, I just… I've been thinking over and over about what people's reactions would be when I told them the truth, and in most of them they either didn't believe me or ended up mad at me." He suddenly looked nervous again. "You… you're not mad, right?"

"No." Matt smiled a little. "Just a little in shock, that's all. I can't believe I've been friends with someone so famous this whole time."

"Ugh. Believe me, being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be," Harry said, flopping back on the grass. "That's the whole reason I disguised myself as Nathan in the first place. I didn't want to have to deal with the pressures of the media, politics… all of it, it's just a pain."

"You don't want credit for saving the wizarding world?" Matt asked curiously. He was starting to piece together a more complete picture of Harry in his mind now. He'd tucked away loose memories of Nathan that hadn't made sense at the time, and now was fitting them in where they belonged.

"It's not that, at least not exactly," Harry said reflectively. "I mean, I did kind of save the wizarding world. But I never did it on my own. In fact, there's no way I could have done it on my own. Ron and Hermione were there the entire time. My friends were behind me the whole time. Without them… I never could have done any of it." He gave Matt a lopsided grin. "See, there's only so far that being "The Chosen One" can get you. In the end, you're still only human. Every time that I tried to strike out on my own, it didn't work. So, I depended on people because I knew that I had to."

"Wow. You've really been through a lot." Matt smiled down at Harry. "You seem a lot more comfortable like this, you know."

"Comfortable? Comfortable how?" Harry asked.

"I dunno. If you'd asked me before, I would have said that Nathan always seemed slightly off. There was always something he wasn't quite willing to reveal, something that was always right there but at the same time not." He shrugged. "I always thought that maybe you were just shy and needed to be pulled out of your shell a little. I didn't think you'd be an entirely different person."

"I'm not _entirely_ different," Harry protested. "I mean, maybe a bit, but… I think that Nathan's still a part of who I am."

"Fair enough. So what are you going to do now?" Matt asked. "About Draco?"

"Nnngh. I have to tell him." Harry sighed. "I know I have to. And I will tell him. I just don't want to see him run away from me because of this."

"He might be upset," Matt admitted. "But if he cares for you as much-" he cut himself off, realizing what he had been about to say. Harry propped himself up on his elbows, looking curious.

"As much as what?" he asked.

"Never mind," Matt said with a laugh. "Just do what you have to do, Nath- Harry. In the end, you'll still have at least one friend." He ruffled the long brown hair. "I'm quite impressed by the disguise, though. You'll have to show me your real face someday." Harry ducked out from under the other boy's hand, laughing.

"When all of this has blown over, sure," he said, holding out a fist. "It's a promise." Matt laughed and bumped his fist against his.

"You should probably head back," he said. "I don't want Draco to think I've kidnapped you or something."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry groaned, getting to his feet. "Thanks, Matt. You're a good friend." He smiled and waved as he ran off across the grounds, leaving Matt under the tree by himself. Matt took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Harry Potter, huh," he muttered. "Who would have thought." He shook his head. Matt wanted what was best for his cousin. He also wanted what was best for Harry. Both were his friends, and both were an important part of his life. He sighed and leaned his head back against the rough bark behind him. Somehow, the surge of excitement that he had felt when he learned Harry's real identity wouldn't go away. The thought in the back of his mind that had been there since he'd first met the brown haired boy persisted. If only Draco wasn't there…

"You know there's no chance Matt," he chided himself out loud. "Draco and Harry are a good fit. You were fine just being his friend for this long. And yet…" He sighed. "Dammit…" Images flashed through his mind, refusing to go away. The light that lit up those blue eyes when he laughed. The slightly lopsided smile when he was with his friends. The way his hair flew in the wind when he was on his broom, flying through the air in a way that made Matt's breath catch. The sound of his voice when he was excited about something.

Matt could remember when he first met Nathan. He'd noticed the other boy in Transfiguration class because he'd been so different. Nathan – still Nathaniel then – had seemed to quiet and unsure of himself. When he'd seen him at the fencing house later that day, Matt had been unable to stop himself from walking over to talk to him. The more that he talked to him, the more Matt had found himself drawn towards him, instantly curious about the depths that this person seemed to have. When he'd seen the way that Draco looked at Nathan, he had felt his heart stop. He cared about his cousin a lot and didn't want to make him unhappy. So he'd decided to give up on Nathan, to see him as nothing but a friend. Then had come the day by the lake.

Matt had encouraged Draco to pursue his feelings, thinking that if the two of them were honest with each other it would be easier to push his own feelings to the background. He was _proud_ of the way that he had managed to hide how he felt towards Nathan. But when the mouth of the cave had collapsed… there were no words to describe the heart stopping panic he had felt. When he saw Nathan again, his face white, blood dripping from his head, Matt had lost his ability to think. He would have been willing to do anything to save him. That was when he knew that he couldn't suppress what he was feeling. It wasn't possible. He was already too deep.

He may have been deep into his own feelings, but after the cave, Matt also saw that he was too late. Draco had talked to Nathan in the cave. He had pretended to be happy for them. He wanted them to be happy, he did. Matt just wished that he could stop the voice inside his head, the one that constantly whispered to him when Nathan was around. If only there was no Draco. If only he hadn't pushed them. That voice was no longer whispering. Now it was screaming at Matt, willing him to take action, to help the split along. Matt shook his head. He couldn't listen to that voice. He had to do what was best for Nathan, and for Draco, no matter how much it hurt him. He pushed himself to his feet with a sigh.

"I'd better go talk to Ron about this," he said, trying to distract himself. Matt walked away from the tree, leaving hanging in the air the unfinished end of the sentence he'd started to say to Nathan.

_But if he cares for you as much as I do, he'd never let you be alone._


End file.
